Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Vladimir Putin due to 'not treating negotiations with seriousness' following the Russian autocrat’s absence from Turkey where peaceful discussions were supposed to take place.
Zelensky said he had sent a team to Istanbul for the first direct peace talks with Russia In three years' time, but downplayed hopes for a major breakthrough, stating Moscow was not genuinely committed to stopping the conflict.
Following many hours of bewilderment marked by mutual recriminations between the parties and doubts about Ukraine’s attendance, Zelensky resolved the ambiguity.
He mentioned that his defense minister was heading towards Istanbul from Ankara, carrying the task of advocating for a truce. The discussions might occur on either Thursday or Friday, as Zelensky further stated.
Kyiv has rejected the 'token' delegation comprising mostly junior officials sent by Russia, following days of urging President Vladimir Putin to attend in person.
US President Donald Trump seemed to admit that advancements in Turkey were improbable, stating that there would be no developments toward ceasing the conflict until he spoke with Putin.
But host country Turkey remained optimistic and Russia's top negotiator said Moscow was ready to discuss 'possible compromises' at the talks.
'Unfortunately, they are not taking the real negotiations very seriously,' Zelensky told reporters after a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
However, out of deference to both Erdogan and Trump, Zelensky stated that he would dispatch a smaller contingent, headed by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, to Istanbul for the discussions. There, he aimed to advocate for an end to the ongoing three-year conflict.
The Russian delegation is headed by Vladimir Medinsky, an aggressive adviser to Putin who has challenged Ukraine’s sovereignty and spearheaded unsuccessful negotiations in 2022 when the conflict began.
Since Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, tens of thousands of people have lost their lives, and currently, Russian forces control approximately one-fifth of Ukrainian land.
There have been no direct peace talks since the first weeks of the war and the two sides' positions appear to have grown further apart throughout three years of bloody fighting.
Paving the way for what could become contentious negotiations, Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova referred to Zelensky as a 'clown' and 'losers' shortly ahead of the meeting. Similarly, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov dismissed him as 'pitiful' for attempting to convince Putin to attend in person.
Zelensky reiterated his request for a meeting with the Russian president.
"I think that the leader of the Kremlin needs to show his leadership skills. If he is willing to engage in talks, then we should agree to meet," he stated while in Turkey.
'The top priority is a ceasefire,' he stated additionally. 'Even though I am convinced that Russia keeps approaching these discussions without seriousness and remains unwilling to conclude the war.'
Trump also stated that no significant progress could be achieved until he personally met with the Russian president.
"I don’t think anything will change, regardless of your feelings, unless he and I meet," Trump said to reporters aboard Air Force One.
The US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to arrive in Istanbul on Friday following his caution at a NATO gathering in Antalya, where he stated that Washington was becoming increasingly 'impatient.'
Putin personally initiated the unexpected push for direct talks following pressure from both Kyiv and European leaders to commit to a complete and unconditional 30-day truce.
Despite the flurry of diplomacy, Moscow and Kyiv's positions remain far apart.
The Kremlin's naming of Medinsky as its top negotiator suggested Moscow does not plan to make concessions. Although a hardline aide to Putin, he is not a major decision-maker and has advanced sweeping territorial claims over Ukraine.
Speaking outside the Russian consulate in Istanbul, Medinsky told reporters Russia saw the talks as a continuation of failed 2022 negotiations and that he was ready for 'possible compromises.'
'The delegation is committed to a constructive approach, to finding possible solutions and points of contact. The goal of direct negotiations with the Ukrainian side is to eventually establish long-term peace by eliminating the root causes of the conflict,' he said.
Moscow wants Kyiv to make massive territorial concessions, giving up even more land than it has lost on the battlefield, and has also at times sought the removal of Zelensky, pledges of military neutrality and limits on Ukraine's army.
Kyiv and the West reject those calls, but Zelensky has conceded that Ukraine might only get back some territory through diplomatic means.
He is calling for a swift 30-day truce - a proposal that Putin has consistently dismissed.
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