U.S. and European diplomats engaged in intense discussions on Monday, May 12, 2025, after U.S. President Donald Trump unexpectedly offered to join upcoming Ukraine-Russia peace talks in Istanbul on Thursday, May 15. The offer followed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s announcement that he would travel to Turkey, willing to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin there.

After Trump’s proposal, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio held calls with European leaders, including the foreign ministers of Britain, France, and the EU’s top diplomat, to explore paths to a ceasefire. Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and German and Polish counterparts also joined the talks.

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov discussed the potential Istanbul talks with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, following a proposal for direct negotiations by President Putin over the weekend.

The Kremlin has yet to respond to either Zelenskyy’s offer or Trump’s involvement. If held, the Istanbul meeting would mark the first direct talks since early in the war, and the first potential meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin since 2019.

Meanwhile, Ukraine and its allies continue pressing for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire, though Moscow called such demands "ultimatums" and unacceptable.