Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski said on Wednesday he was open to "any form of negotiations" to end the war with Russia. He said he would decide on next steps after finding out who will represent the Russian side at talks scheduled for Thursday in Istanbul

Volodimir Zelenski said that Ukraine is open to any form of negotiations to end the war with Russia and will decide on the next steps depending on the Russian delegation present at the talks in Istanbul. The talks, initiated by Russia, will tackle political and technical issues after the Kremlin rejected a ceasefire ultimatum imposed by Ukraine's European allies. The last direct talks took place in March-April 2022, but a peace deal was abandoned by Ukraine at the request of the United States and the United Kingdom.