KYIV — Ukraine is pushing for face-to-face talks between President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin, and has asked Turkey and other capitals to help host a summit outside Russia and Belarus. Ukrainian officials have presented the proposal as a way to inject new momentum into U.S.-led efforts to end Russia's more than four-year invasion.

Kyiv has reached out to Ankara to help facilitate top-level talks and has contacted other capitals as potential venues, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said. Ukraine would consider any location outside Russia and Belarus, he said. "We are advocating for a summit meeting now to bring new momentum to diplomacy," Sybiha said.

Over the past year, U.S.-mediated talks between delegations from Moscow and Kyiv have made little or no headway on key issues, including the future of four Ukrainian regions that Moscow is trying to capture but does not fully control. Talks are currently paused as Washington focuses on the war in Iran.

Zelenskyy has accepted an unconditional ceasefire demanded by U.S. President Donald Trump. Putin has refused the unconditional ceasefire.

Fighting continues along a roughly 1,250-kilometer front line in eastern and southern Ukraine. Independent verification of battlefield casualties and which side has the upper hand is not possible.

Ukraine has developed a domestic arms industry that is producing long-range drones and missiles capable of striking deep inside Russia. Ukrainian drones and missiles have targeted Russia's oil production and manufacturing plants that supply the Russian military. Ukraine's aerial attacks on Russia rose from 6,200 in 2024 to more than 23,000 in 2025, according to figures attributed to Sergei Shoigu.