Negotiations Delayed by a Day Amid Tensions
Zelensky and Russia Exchange Barbs
Trump Also Skips Trip to Turkiye
The first 'direct negotiations' between Ukraine and Russia, which were expected to take place in T?rkiye for the first time in three years, ultimately failed to materialize. After the cancellation of a summit between the two countries' leaders, even the delegation-level talks scheduled for the 15th (local time) were postponed by a day. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio argued that in order for negotiations to end the Russia-Ukraine war to make progress, dialogue between the leaders of the United States and Russia is necessary, suggesting the possibility of intervention by US President Donald Trump.
Russia's TASS news agency, citing sources, reported that the delegation meeting would not take place that day due to detailed planning reasons and would instead begin on the 16th. The Russian side initially denied media reports that the talks would start at 10 a.m. (Istanbul time) that day, then announced that negotiations would be held in the afternoon. However, by 9 p.m. that day, the talks had not taken place.
President Vladimir Putin made a surprise proposal for direct negotiations to Ukraine on the 11th. Had the meeting taken place, it would have been the first direct talks between the two countries since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in March 2022. However, Russia sent a delegation to Istanbul composed in the same way as during the 2022 talks, effectively refusing to have the Russian and Ukrainian leaders sit at the negotiating table together.
President Zelensky is calling for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, while President Putin refuses to halt fighting without concessions from Ukraine and the West. This reveals a clear difference in perspectives between Russia and Ukraine regarding ending the war. For this reason, there is speculation that even if negotiations take place on the 16th, it will be difficult to achieve any meaningful results.
Advisor Medinsky also reaffirmed Russia's existing position, stating, "This meeting is aimed at resolving the root causes of the conflict to achieve sustainable peace." The 'root causes' referred to by Russia appear to point to Ukraine aligning itself with the West as an independent nation.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, during a visit to the Turkish capital Ankara, strongly criticized the Kremlin's stance, saying, "Russia sent a mid-level delegation to Istanbul, not even high-ranking officials," and called this attitude "rude."
President Zelensky said, "There is no set time for the meeting, no agenda, and no high-level delegation," adding, "Russia is not serious." He made these remarks at a press conference after his meeting with Turkish President Erdogan.
Ultimately, President Zelensky decided to send a reduced delegation to Istanbul led by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, explaining that this was intended to demonstrate Ukraine's willingness to respond to any possibility for peace, even as President Putin refused the proposal for direct talks in T?rkiye.
However, neither side has provided a clear position regarding the actual schedule and location of the talks. President Zelensky stated, "Russia has no will to end this war."
There is also a possibility that President Trump, who has been pressuring for an end to the Russia-Ukraine war, may intervene. Speaking to reporters aboard his private plane en route from Qatar to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that afternoon, President Trump said regarding the ceasefire talks between Ukraine and Russia, "Nothing will happen until Putin and I meet." President Trump's own trip to Istanbul, which had raised the possibility of a trilateral summit involving the US if President Putin attended, has also failed to materialize.
Secretary of State Rubio, who visited Antalya, T?rkiye, to attend the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Foreign Ministers' Meeting, also said he would meet with the Ukrainian delegation in Istanbul on the 16th, but stated that he did not have high expectations for the negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. Secretary Rubio said, "In my judgment, there will be no breakthrough until President Trump and President Putin communicate directly about this issue."
The New York Times (NYT) reported, "President Donald Trump's remarks added fuel to the confusion surrounding the talks that day," adding, "In reality, there was no concrete sign that President Trump would attend the meeting."
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