Zelenskyy: Ukraine’s future cannot be decided without its involvement

BY YUSUF INAN | WISE NEWS PRESS

ISTANBUL, TÜRKİYE — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country’s future cannot be decided without its participation and expressed readiness to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Türkiye for talks to end the war.

Speaking in a CNN Türk interview published on November 1, following his October 31 meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Istanbul, Zelenskyy said decisions affecting Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity must involve Ukraine directly.

“You cannot decide Ukraine’s fate without Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said, according to CNN Türk’s Turkish-language transcript.

He argued that diplomatic initiatives excluding Ukrainian representatives would fail to end the war, while supporting the possibility of talks hosted by Türkiye. His remarks addressed both Ukraine’s place at the negotiating table and the role Ankara could play in bringing the parties together.

Ukraine rejects decisions made in its absence

Zelenskyy was responding to a question about the possibility of U.S. President Donald Trump, Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping discussing Ukraine’s future without the Ukrainian government at the table. The proposed format was raised as a scenario in the interviewer’s question.

Other countries could hold discussions among themselves, he said, but could not decide matters concerning Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity on its behalf. An effective agreement to end the war would require the participation of the country directly affected, he argued.

Zelenskyy said previous attempts to determine Ukraine’s future without its involvement had produced no results. He linked his objection to the hypothetical meeting to Ukraine’s exclusion from decisions about its own territory and security.

He also said Russia’s expectation of quickly taking control of Ukraine had not materialized. Zelenskyy presented that assessment as an example of why major powers’ calculations about their own strength could not override another country’s will.

Zelenskyy says he is ready to meet Putin in Türkiye

Zelenskyy said he was prepared to meet Putin in Türkiye and believed Erdoğan’s contacts with both the Russian and U.S. administrations could assist diplomacy. He said he and Erdoğan had discussed the possibility of a three-way meeting of leaders in Türkiye.

According to Ukrinform’s account of the interview, Zelenskyy described Türkiye as a mediator capable of pursuing practical solutions. He cited Ankara’s support for Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity, alongside Erdoğan’s direct communication channels with Putin, as reasons for supporting a meeting there.

Zelenskyy said a leaders’ meeting was necessary because the war had continued despite contacts between delegations. He said the public expected tangible progress and argued that political decisions at the highest level could resolve issues that technical teams had been unable to settle.

Technical negotiations and a summit are separate tracks

The interview distinguished talks between technical delegations from a possible leaders’ summit. Zelenskyy said the United States had proposed a meeting of Ukrainian, U.S. and Russian technical teams in Abu Dhabi, which he hoped would take place by mid-November.

He identified a halt to attacks on energy infrastructure, a maritime ceasefire and prisoner exchanges as issues for technical teams. Those discussions would also help prepare for a potential meeting of leaders, he said.

In an October 31 statement, Ukraine’s presidency confirmed preparations for a trilateral format involving Ukraine, the United States and Russia in the first half of November. Zelenskyy said he and Erdoğan had also considered ways for Türkiye and European partners to participate in the diplomatic process.

That preparation window does not establish a confirmed date for a leaders’ summit in Türkiye. Zelenskyy’s willingness to attend a meeting and an announcement of a schedule accepted by all participants represent separate stages.

Ceasefire monitoring and territorial integrity remain priorities

Zelenskyy said his priority for a possible leaders’ meeting would be a full, unconditional ceasefire backed by a strong monitoring mechanism. Reaching a ceasefire and determining how compliance would be checked, and by whom, were distinct questions, he said.

Ukrinform’s account also identified security guarantees, Ukraine’s reconstruction and territorial issues as subjects for negotiations between leaders. Zelenskyy said decisions on those matters needed to be addressed by political leaders with the authority to make them.

He said Ukraine would not recognize occupied territory, including Crimea, as Russian. Such recognition would conflict with Ukraine’s Constitution and the will of its society, he said. He presented a ceasefire along the existing front line as a priority without describing it as acceptance of territorial concessions.

In the approach Zelenskyy outlined, stopping the fighting would be followed by work on security guarantees and arrangements to prevent another outbreak of war. These were presented as Ukraine’s negotiating positions, rather than provisions of an agreed settlement.

Istanbul talks cover Black Sea shipping and energy

According to Türkiye’s Directorate of Communications, Erdoğan and Zelenskyy held one-on-one and delegation-level talks at the Dolmabahçe Presidential Office on October 31. The discussions covered bilateral relations, the war and security in the Black Sea.

Ukraine’s presidency said the leaders discussed the operation of a Black Sea grain corridor and safe commercial navigation. Zelenskyy said they examined proposals intended to support food security and keep maritime trade functioning.

In his joint press conference remarks, Zelenskyy also discussed defense production, industrial cooperation and economic projects. He said progress on safe shipping would help businesses in both countries make use of opportunities for trade.

Addressing Russian attacks on energy infrastructure, Zelenskyy said he had met representatives of Turkish energy companies in Istanbul. He said Ukraine expected increased deliveries of generators and other energy equipment in the following week. The statement did not specify shipment quantities.

The visit’s initial agenda was also covered in Şehitler Ölmez’s report on Erdoğan and Zelenskyy’s Istanbul meeting.

Ankara backs diplomacy as summit timing remains unconfirmed

According to the Turkish Directorate of Communications’ account of the joint press conference, Erdoğan said negotiations hosted by Türkiye between Ukraine and Russia had demonstrated that diplomacy could produce concrete results. He said Ankara was ready to help open a path to peace.

Erdoğan said the discussions had examined efforts to secure peace in Ukraine and the security situation in the Black Sea. He welcomed renewed momentum in diplomatic initiatives, including efforts by Trump.

Zelenskyy’s interview did not announce a fixed date for a leaders’ meeting in Türkiye, confirmation from all prospective participants or a signed ceasefire agreement. Ukraine’s publicly stated preparations focused on the proposed trilateral format in the first half of November and its call for direct talks between leaders.

WiseNewsPress.com