Outlook for Ukraine-Russia talks dims with Putin no-show : NPR

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (proper) shakes palms with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy throughout their assembly at Turkey’s presidential palace in Ankara, Thursday.

Turkish Presidency/AP

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Turkish Presidency/AP

KYIV and MOSCOW — Hopes for substantive talks in Istanbul between Russia and Ukraine light on Thursday, after days of intense hypothesis that Russian President Vladimir Putin and maybe even President Trump would attend.

Just one chief — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy — confirmed up in Turkey. He final met Putin face-to-face in 2019. Now he has accused the Russian chief of being afraid to satisfy once more as Russia continues to assault Ukraine.

In a call solely made public on the eve of the talks, Putin named a bunch of mid-level technocrats to steer the Russian delegation. The Kremlin’s spokesman later confirmed that Putin wouldn’t be becoming a member of them.

Chatting with reporters in Ankara, Zelenskyy criticized Putin for sending “stand-in props” in his place.

“We have to perceive the extent of the Russian delegation, what their mandate is, and whether or not they’re able to making any choices on their very own,” Zelenskyy stated. “As a result of everyone knows who makes the choices in Russia.”

But the top of the Russian delegation, presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, insisted his group had come to Turkey knowledgeable of the Kremlin’s positions and with full authority to barter.

Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky speaks to journalists on the Russian Consulate in Istanbul, Thursday.

Francisco Seco/AP

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Francisco Seco/AP

“The objective of direct talks with the Ukrainian facet is to in the end set up a long-term peace that takes under consideration the roots of the battle,” Medinsky stated to a scrum of reporters exterior the Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul.

There was one catch: Zelenskyy and many of the Ukrainian delegation have been nonetheless in Ankara, almost 300 miles away.

Zelenskyy later confirmed he would ship a group led by Ukrainian Protection Minister Rustem Umerov to Istanbul to satisfy with the Russian technocrats there. It is unclear when discussions will begin. Zelenskyy himself stated he is heading to Albania for a gathering with European leaders.

Putin known as for direct talks. Zelenskyy challenges him to satisfy in individual

Putin proposed direct talks with Ukraine in a shock announcement to international journalists on the Kremlin Sunday — an obvious counteroffer to an ultimatum by Ukraine and its Western allies to comply with a direct 30-day ceasefire by Could 12 or face additional sanctions.

Putin didn’t handle the ceasefire proposal, however instructed the 2 sides as an alternative collect in Istanbul, which hosted failed negotiations between Russia and Ukraine again in 2022.

It was unclear whether or not Putin himself ever meant to participate.

Zelenskyy dedicated to attend the negotiations — and challenged Putin to do the identical.

President Trump, at the moment touring within the Center East, additionally stated he was open to creating an look — inflating hopes the Kremlin chief may settle for.

But, talking from Doha, Qatar, on Thursday, Trump reversed course. Trump stated he’d by no means given a dedication to attend and did not assume Putin would go “if I do not go.”

“And that turned out to be proper,” added Trump. “However now we have folks there.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio was in Antalya, Turkey, for a NATO summit, and will be part of the talks. Chatting with reporters there, Rubio performed down the prospect of progress from Russia-Ukraine negotiations in Turkey. “It is my evaluation that I do not assume we’ll have a breakthrough right here till the President [Trump] and President Putin work together instantly on this subject,” he stated, “face-to-face.”

Trump left the door open to participating with the talks at a later date “if it was acceptable” — including that “nothing’s going to occur till Putin and I get collectively” by way of securing a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.

Zelenskyy instructed reporters in Ankara that he hopes the assembly between the 2 delegations results in a ceasefire, which he has stated should be secured earlier than peace talks can start. He added that if the Kremlin continues to balk on the phrases of ceasefire proposals, then Ukraine’s western allies ought to comply with by means of on threats to impose new sanctions on Russia.

“That shall be an incentive to finish the struggle sooner or not less than pace up our conversations about it,” he stated.

NPR’s Hanna Palamarenko contributed to this story from Kyiv.