Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he "will be waiting" to meet Vladimir Putin face-to-face this week after Donald Trump told the Ukrainian president not to wait for a ceasefire offer from Russia.
Over the weekend, Mr Putin proposed peace talks be held with Ukraine in Türkiye aimed at eliminating "the root causes of the conflict".
Mr Zelenskyy on Sunday initially responded by stating he wanted a ceasefire to begin on Monday, local time, before agreeing to hold talks, leading the US president to post publicly that he was "starting to doubt" Ukraine wanted a deal with Russia.
[EXTERNAL LINK: Zelenskyy tweet]"Ukraine should agree to this, IMMEDIATELY," Mr Trump wrote of Mr Putin's offer on Truth Social.
Within an hour, Mr Zelenskyy posted he would meet the Russian president on Thursday but maintained Mr Putin should also order a ceasefire to begin on Monday.
"We await a full and lasting ceasefire, starting from tomorrow, to provide the necessary basis for diplomacy. There is no point in prolonging the killings," he wrote.
"And I will be waiting for Putin in Türkiye on Thursday. Personally. I hope that this time the Russians will not look for excuses."
It is not clear whether Mr Putin was planning to attend the talks in person.
Over the weekend, Türkiye's President Tayyip Erdogan spoke with Mr Putin over the phone about the nature of any potential ceasefire, according to Mr Erdogan's government, as well as the Kremlin and French President Emmanuel Macron.
They confirmed Mr Putin had suggested talks between Russia and Ukraine could occur on Thursday.
How has Russia reacted?
Mr Putin did not specify whether the talks on Thursday would involve Mr Zelenskyy and himself personally.
He said a ceasefire might be agreed upon during the negotiations, but stressed that the Kremlin needed a truce that would lead to a "lasting peace" rather than one that would allow Ukraine to rearm and mobilise more men to its armed forces.
His proposal for talks followed European leaders' urging Russia to agree to a 30-day ceasefire.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, in comments aired by Russian state TV on Sunday, called Mr Putin's proposal "very serious", aimed at eliminating "the root causes of the conflict", and said it "confirms a real intention to find a peaceful solution".
Without directly mentioning Moscow's proposal, Mr Trump said in a social media post several hours after Mr Putin's overnight remarks that it was "a potentially great day for Russia and Ukraine!"
Mr Putin and Mr Zelenskyy have met only once, in 2019.
After repeated unsuccessful calls for a personal meeting with the Russian leader early on in the war, and following the Kremlin's decision in September 2022 to illegally annex four regions of Ukraine, Mr Zelenskyy enacted a decree declaring that holding negotiations with Mr Putin had become impossible.
'Australians have skin in the game'
Ukraine's ambassador to Australia, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, said the way the war will play out will impact Australia and the South Pacific.
"Australians have skin in the game," the ambassador told ABC News Channel.
"What the future holds for Australia and for democracy in the region — we have to remember that, in your neighbourhood, there is only one democracy here, and it's New Zealand.
"The future of Australia depends on the rules-based international system which Russia, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, has blatantly violated," Mr Myroshnychenko said.
"Does democracy have a chance? Or, is democracy in decline? Authoritarian leaders now have the upper hand," the ambassador said.
Mr Myroshnychenko said Europe, whose leaders have called out Mr Putin, is the closest ally of Australia for the future in terms of democracies.
"These are the countries that you want to build relations with, because these are the countries that are out there having the same systems like you do here in Australia," he said.
The ambassador said there is not a lot Kyiv can offer Russia, which he claims controls 20 per cent of Ukrainian territory and has been accused of human right violations.
"Russians are sending missiles to different cities, destroying our hospitals and killing our people," Mr Myroshnychenko said.
He said Ukraine does not trust Russia and is uncertain if Moscow wants to continue to wage a war or commit to a ceasefire.
"Let's see what happens in Moscow when Putin wakes up," the ambassador said.
Ukraine, allies insist on a ceasefire
Mr Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk met with Mr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Saturday and issued a coordinated call for a 30-day truce starting on Monday.
"All of us here together with the US are calling Putin out," Mr Starmer said.
The plan received backing from both the European Union and the Trump administration, with the leaders pledging tougher sanctions on Russia if Mr Putin did not accept the proposal.
Mr Putin, in remarks to the media overnight, effectively rejected the offer and proposed restarting direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on Thursday "without preconditions".
Mr Macron said on Sunday that Mr Putin's offer of direct negotiations with Ukraine was "a first step, but not enough", signalling continued Western scepticism toward Moscow's intentions.
"An unconditional ceasefire is not preceded by negotiations," he told reporters at the Polish-Ukrainian border, according to French media, adding that Mr Putin was "looking for a way out".
"But he still wants to buy time."
ABC/wires
