Peace talks in Türkiye: What Zelenskyy said and will Putin attend?

The Kremlin has not yet officially confirmed whether Putin will be in Türkiye on Thursday, although it is known that an American delegation is heading there. The EU, meanwhile, is awaiting the outcome of these talks to impose sanctions.

This is reported in an article by TSN correspondent Oksana Tkachenko.

This could be the first meeting between the Ukrainian and Russian presidents in six years, over three of which have seen Russia’s full-scale invasion. Their last meeting was in Paris in December 2019 under the Normandy Format, and it failed to meet either side’s expectations. Before his trip to Türkiye, Zelenskyy told journalists that all details of the visit have been coordinated with the Turkish side, even accounting for potential Russian manipulations. The only question remains whether Putin will dare to accept the challenge.

“If Putin flies to Istanbul instead of the capital, I’ve already signaled to President Erdoğan, and the Turkish side is ready for President Erdoğan and me to fly to Istanbul. I’ve repeatedly emphasized to President Trump that I believe Putin does not want to end the war, does not want a ceasefire, and does not want any negotiations. I’m not even saying he’s afraid of direct talks with me,” Zelenskyy said.

The proposal for direct talks in Türkiye came from the Kremlin after the West issued an ultimatum demanding an unconditional 30-day ceasefire. Moscow was evidently unprepared for the escalation of a presidential meeting. Putin’s spokesperson Peskov arrogantly stated that the language of ultimatums is unacceptable to them. It is known that foreign minister Sergey Lavrov and Putin’s foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov will travel to Türkiye. However, Russia is hesitant to announce the full delegation list, as they are waiting to see if Donald Trump will go to Türkiye. The U.S. President is currently visiting Saudi Arabia but has not ruled out the possibility earlier. For now, the U.S. delegation to Türkiye includes Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoys Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that he also invited Trump to the meeting, which could serve as an additional incentive for Putin. However, if the Kremlin leader does not attend and resumes his time-delaying games, the Ukrainian President has asked the West to follow through on its ultimatum.

The EU has already prepared and coordinated with Washington a list of restrictions targeting Russia’s energy and financial sectors. They even threatened to impose them starting this Monday if Putin does not agree to a 30-day truce. However, they decided to wait for the results of the Turkish talks.

Thus, Putin faces a choice: under pressure from the West and Ukraine, attend a meeting with Zelenskyy, whose legitimacy he has questioned, or openly admit that he never wanted a truce and was merely stringing the Americans along. Ultimately, he might simply be afraid, at least according to EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas.