I talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul in the end they will be done. But without Vladimir Putin e Volodymyr Zelensky. After a day of chaos, announcements, denials and mutual accusations, the Moscow and Kiev negotiating teams agreed to meet between Thursday evening and Friday in the city on the Bosphorus for the first time since March 2022.
Ukraine-Russia: Istanbul talks begin
The head of the Kremlin, who had first launched the proposal for a direct meeting in Turkey, procrastinated until the last minute but confirmed only in the morning that he would not sit at the table and sent a negotiating team of a not exactly high level to Istanbul. “More than a negotiating team, a farce,” thundered Zelensky as soon as he landed in Ankara for a meeting with the Turkish President Erdogan. The Ukrainian president said he was still “ready” for “direct discussions” with Putin, complaining that Russia, in his opinion, was not taking “peace talks seriously.” Moscow’s response was immediate: Zelensky is an uneducated clown.”
Ukraine-Russia: Moscow and Kiev's conditions
By midday, no one was yet able to know whether the talks would take place, when, and in what format. The Russian delegation had already been in the city since the morning, the Ukrainian one was waiting for Zelensky's green light. A green light that came only after the meeting with Erdogan, who together with the White House officials will mediate negotiations. Russia is “committed to a constructive approach,” but the goal of direct talks is “to establish long-term peace sooner or later” and “to eliminate the root causes of the conflict,” says Moscow’s delegation head Vladimir Medinsky. Which translates to: The Russians do not intend to make concessions on the conquered territories and reiterate their absolute opposition to Kiev's entry into NATO. No arms stop then, before obtaining important concessions from Kiev and the West.
Zelensky instead aims for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire and only after a possible peace agreement. If Moscow does not come to stop the weapons, says the Ukrainian president, the pressure must increase and “it cannot be unilateral. That is why we really want to see pressure against Russia and Putin. Sanctions from Europe, the United States and other countries,” he adds.
Ukraine-Russia: Trump's Role
The positions therefore remain distant, the negotiation is only at the beginning and the next steps are all uphill. "Nothing will happen until Putin and I meet", underlines the US president. Donald Trump that come on UAE, third and last stop of the mission in the Gulf, had announced his arrival in Türkiye if the leaders sat down at the table. But the leaders, as was widely expected from the statements made the day before, will not meet.
US-Ukraine-Türkiye Trilateral Concluded
Meanwhile, the conference in Istanbul has concluded trilateral interview between delegations from Ukraine, the United States and Türkiye. The meeting, the agency reports Anadolu, preceded the official start of direct negotiations between Kiev and Moscow (scheduled for the afternoon). The aim of the summit was to coordinate diplomatic strategy and strengthen the Western front in support of Ukraine, under the direction of Turkish mediation.
According to Turkish press reports, also Vladimir Medinsky – head of the Russian delegation that arrived in Istanbul to negotiate with Ukrainian officials – had a preliminary meeting with US representatives at the Dolmabahce Palace.
Europe is watching closely: in Tirana, where Zelensky also arrived, the Twenty-Seven are discussing a new package of sanctions against Moscow, with the approval of the White House.
Last update 12,10am