Russia and Ukraine are going to sit for direct talks in Istanbul, Turkey. That meeting will take place next Thursday with the aim of ending the Ukraine war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wants Russian President Vladimir Putin to be present at the meeting. According to Kyiv, Putin’s absence from the meeting would mean that he is not giving importance to establishing peace.
The war between Russia and Ukraine has been ongoing since February 2022. There were direct talks between the two sides at the beginning of the war. After a long break, the two sides are going to sit at the negotiating table again on Thursday. The new US administration has played a major role in this effort.
However, the Kremlin has not confirmed whether Putin will be present at Thursday’s meeting at all. They have also indicated that the country’s President Donald Trump may participate in Thursday’s meeting.
In a statement issued by the Ukrainian President’s office, Zelensky’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak said that if Putin rejects the matter of coming to Turkey, a final signal will be received that he does not want to stop this war. It will also be understood that Russia is not interested in any kind of discussion and they are not ready.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists, “Russia is continuing preparations for the talks scheduled for Thursday. This is all we can say at the moment. For now, we will not say anything more.” He did not mention who will be in the Russian delegation.
Meanwhile, Trump has started his Middle East tour today, Tuesday. He told journalists at the White House yesterday, Monday, “I am actually thinking about going there (Istanbul). I think there is a possibility.”
Earlier, Putin had made a proposal to hold talks with Ukraine. He made that proposal in response to the unconditional 30-day ceasefire proposal that Kyiv and its Western allies had made starting Monday. However, Moscow did not comment on the 30-day ceasefire.
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