SHOTLIST: TIRANA, ALBANIA (MAY 16, 2025) (USERS MUST CREDIT “ALBANIAN PRIME MINISTRY” HANDOUT, —EDITORIAL USE ONLY) 1. (SOUNDBITE) ( English) UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT VOLODIMIR ZELENSKYY SAYING: "Thank you Albania for hosting us today, Not just in a beautiful country, but in a country that believes in Europe and stands for its future. Dear friends, thank you all for your support and I appreciate that we share the same understanding. This war, where Russia against Ukraine must be ended as soon as possible. And in a just way, Ukraine needs peace. Peace in Europe depends on whether Ukraine will get it. All of you know that this week we had a real chance to take important steps toward ending this war, if only Putin had not been afraid to come to Türkiy. I was in Ankara yesterday and thanks for participation and hosting us President Erdogan. And I was ready for a direct meeting with Putin, whether in Ankara or in Istanbul, and not just for a meeting, but to resolve all the important issues to my mind. But he didn't agree to anything, I mean Putin. And you can also see that the Russian delegation that came to Istanbul is of a very low level. None of them are people who actually make decisions in Russia. Still I send our team to Istanbul, led by Ukraine's Minister of Defence at least to see if those Russians can actually decide anything. Our number one priority is a full, unconditional and honest ceasefire. This must happen immediately to stop the killing and create a solid basis for diplomacy, first of all. And if the Russian representatives in Istanbul today cannot even agree to that, to ceasefire, to this clearly necessary first step, then it will be 100% clear that Putin continues to undermine diplomacy. If that's not the case, there must be at least some result today starting with a ceasefire. The Ukrainian delegation has a mandate to make decisions. As we saw yesterday, Russia sent almost the same people. It sent in 2022, they showed that Russia has not changed its basic approach. They make many statements, many threats, but they solve nothing. They are doing everything they can to turn this Istanbul meeting into a staged, empty process just like that once in 2022. It's not us or Western leaders who are disrupting the negotiations that the Russians have been claiming for years. It's Russians who sent empty heads to the talks. And that's what destroys the meaning of diplomacy. So if it turns out that the Russian delegation really is just theatrical and can't deliver any results today, the world must respond. There needs to be a strong reaction, including sanctions against Russia's energy sector and banks. Pressure must continue to rise until real progress is made. Ukraine is ready to take all realistic steps to end this war. I call on Putin to give his delegation real authority. And we need a full stop to the killing, long enough to give diplomacy a real chance. Secondly, we must build at least a minimum level of trust in the negotiation process. This can be done by releasing prisoners of war, returning Ukrainian children taken by Russia, and releasing civilian hostages currently held by the Russian side. Third, we need to clearly define which issues must be handled at a leadership level, not below. And we all know who makes the real decisions in Russia. Fourth, together with our leaders and together with the countries who are here with us today, we have begun to create new security architecture for Ukraine and all of Europe. I thank everyone who is on board now. It's time to move to very practical steps. And fifth, the United States. President Trump wants to end this war. We need to keep working closely with President and stay as coordinated as possible. Long-term US support is also essential. And American backstop is needed. It's important that we all work together on every level to make that happen. And of course, I will keep you informed throughout the day about what is happening in Istanbul and whether there is any chance the Russian delegation will take real steps to stop the killing and bring the war to an end. Thank you, Edi, again for your invitation. 2. ATTENDEES APPLAUDING TIRANA, ALBANIA (MAY 16, 2025) (USERS MUST CREDIT “ALBANIAN PRIME MINISTRY” HANDOUT, —EDITORIAL USE ONLY) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy slammed Russian President Vladimir Putin for skipping direct peace talks in Türkiye. During his address at the European Political Community (EPC) summit in Tirana on Friday, Zelenskyy expressed frustration over what he described as a missed opportunity to take meaningful steps toward ending the ongoing war in Ukraine. Türkiye is hosting the Russia-Ukraine peace talks on May 15-16 in the Dolmabahce Presidential Working Office in Istanbul. “This week, we had a real chance to take important steps toward ending this war, if only Putin had not been afraid to come to Türkiye,” Zelenskyy said. “I was in Ankara yesterday and was ready for a direct meeting with Putin, whether in Ankara or in Istanbul, and not just for a meeting, but to resolve all the important issues. But he didn't agree to anything." Speaking alongside Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama and other European leaders, Zelenskyy also criticized the makeup of the Russian delegation present at the latest round of peace discussions in Istanbul, labeling it as insufficient and lacking authority. "And you can also see that the Russian delegation that came to Istanbul is of a very low level. None of them are people who actually make decisions in Russia. Still, I sent a team to Istanbul, led by Ukraine's defense minister, at least to see if those Russians can actually decide anything,” he said. Highlighting the human toll of the conflict and the urgency of diplomatic progress, Zelenskyy reiterated Ukraine’s primary objective in the talks: the establishment of a ceasefire. “Our number one priority is a full, unconditional, and honest ceasefire. This must happen immediately to stop the killing and create a solid basis for diplomacy." "And if the Russian representatives in Istanbul today cannot even agree to that, to a ceasefire, to this clearly necessary first step, it will be 100% clear that Putin continues to undermine diplomacy," he added.