Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday did not show up for proposed direct peace talks in Turkey with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who was waiting for Putin in the capital, Ankara, after challenging him to face-to-face discussions on ending their countries’ more than three-year war.
With Putin absent, the Russian delegation was in Istanbul and it was not clear whether the sides would meet for their first talks since March 2022, following Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbor the previous month.
Zelenskiy said that the Russian delegation appeared to be merely “decorative.”
Photo: AFP
Speaking at the airport in Ankara, he said that the next steps for talks would be decided after his upcoming meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Putin’s absence punctured hopes of a breakthrough in peace efforts given a push in the past few months by the administration of US President Donald Trump and western European leaders. It also raised the prospect of intensified international sanctions on Russia that have been threatened by the US and European leaders.
“Now, after three years of immense suffering, there is finally a window of opportunity,” Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan said at a NATO meeting taking place separately in Turkey. “The talks ... hopefully may open a new chapter.”
The Kremlin never responded to Sunday’s challenge from Zelenskiy, which came after Putin had proposed direct talks with Ukraine.
Zelenskiy would sit at the table only with Putin, said Mykhailo Podolyak, Zelenskiy’s adviser.
Trump said he was not surprised that Putin was a no-show.
“I didn’t think it was possible for Putin to go if I’m not there,” Trump said in an exchange with reporters as he took part in a business roundtable with executives in Doha.
Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to Putin, is leading the Russian team that also includes three other senior officials, the Kremlin said.
Putin also appointed four lower-level officials as “experts” for the talks in Istanbul.
Details about whether, when and where the delegations might meet were unclear.
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