The message comes after Putin rejected the demand for a 30-day ceasefire, but said he instead wants direct talks with Ukraine.
"We are waiting for a complete and lasting ceasefire, starting tomorrow, to create the necessary basis for diplomacy. There is no point in prolonging the killing, Zelenskyj writes on X in his response to the Russian president's appeal.
US President Donald Trump wrote shortly before Zelenskyj's message on Truth Social that Ukraine should "immediately" agree to the proposed meeting in Turkey.
"Then they will at least see if an agreement is possible, and if not, European leaders and the US will know how everything stands and can act accordingly", Trump writes, adding that he is starting to doubt that Ukraine will achieve a peace agreement with Putin.
"He is too busy celebrating victory in World War II, which could not have been achieved (not even close) without the US", he continues.
No Preconditions
It was on Sunday night that Vladimir Putin said that Russia is ready for negotiations, but "without preconditions", referring to the demand for a 30-day ceasefire starting on Monday that Ukraine and about 30 allies presented on Saturday.
Putin proposed that direct talks between Russia and Ukraine can begin on May 15 Istanbul. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has offered to host talks between the parties.
"A window of opportunities" has opened to reach peace between Russia and Ukraine, says Erdogan after having spoken with Putin on the phone on Sunday.
"The Whole World Has Waited"
Volodymyr Zelenskyj expressed himself already earlier on Sunday cautiously positively about the development and welcomed in a post on X that Russia "has finally begun to consider ending the war".
He further said that Ukraine is ready to meet, but emphasized that he expects Russia to meet the demands for a "complete, lasting and reliable" ceasefire.
"The whole world has waited for this very long. And the very first step to really end any war is a ceasefire", wrote Zelenskyj.
