Putin does not travel to Ukraine talks to Istanbul

Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin does not travel to Istanbul on the negotiations to end the Ukraine War on this Thursday. As head of a multi -member delegation, the Russian president sends his consultant Vladimir Medinski to Turkey, as the Kremlin announced. Medinski, who was once a Minister of Culture and is considered a political lightweight, was already involved in the negotiations to terminate the war in 2022. The talks ended – also in Turkey – without result.

According to Putin, Vice Foreign Minister Mikhail Galusin, General Igor Kostjukow from the Russian General Staff and Vice Defense Minister Alexander Fomin are also represented in the delegation. Experts from the Ministry of Defense, the General Staff, Foreign Ministry and the Presidential Administration also take part in the talks.

It was initially unclear how Ukraine reacts to Putin’s absence and whether it still engages in the conversations with this Russian delegation. Media had previously reported in Moscow that Foreign Minister Sergei Lawrow did not travel to Istanbul as a political heavyweight.

Ukrainian President Wolodymyr Selenskyj initially insisted on negotiating Putin personally. A trip to Turkey was considered very unlikely. Kyiv now wants to accept other formats. Ukraine wants to reach a 30-day ceasefire in the talks in Istanbul. Otherwise there should be new sanctions against Russia.

Putin proposed the negotiations in Istanbul on Sunday night in response to Selenskyj’s demand for an unconditional ceasefire that should have started on Monday. However, the Kremlin had left open for days who was traveling to Turkey. Putin had also discussed the plans for the talks on Sunday with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has been an important intermediary for both sides since the beginning of the war.

US President Donald Trump had asked Ukraine to go into direct negotiations with Russia. He turned against an ultimatum of Selenskyjs and the “coalition of the willing” from Ukraine allies, who first asked for a ceasefire and then negotiations. In addition to Great Britain and France, Germany also includes the “coalition of the willing”.

Trump had repeatedly explained to want to end the war between Russia and Ukraine quickly. He had met with Selenskyj and spoke to Putin on the phone. The US President, who is currently on a Middle East multi-day, had also agreed to travel to Istanbul if Putin and Selenskyj meet there and help his presence in the conversations.

In response to Putin’s negotiating offer, Selenskyj has repeatedly announced that he would wait for the Kremlin chief in Turkey and only accept direct conversations with him because Putin made all decisions in the war. In Moscow, Selenskyj’s initiative to quote Putin for a conversation to Istanbul had often triggered shaking my head.

Several politicians had accused the former actor and comedian Selenskyj a spectacle from the negotiations to terminate the war. The Ukrainian leadership in turn claimed that Putin was afraid of direct conversations with Selenskyj.

In contrast, the Kremlin had repeatedly explained that meetings had to be prepared well at the highest level – and at the end of negotiations to seal an agreement.

Russia and Ukraine have repeatedly accused each other of having no real interest in peace negotiations. Moscow emphasized that Kiev with western weapons aid would continue to fight for recapturing the areas incorporated by Russia. Kiev, in turn, feared that Moscow would primarily occupy other Ukrainian areas in order to destroy the state’s statehood.

Ukraine and Russia are largely relating to the United States as an intermediary in the conflict. Most recently, there were negotiations in March with the mediation of the Americans in Saudi Arabia – each separated with the Russian and the Ukrainian side. There were no direct conversations between Russians and Ukrainians in Riad, as did a fundamental agreement between the warring parties.

Direct conversations between Russians and Ukrainians about the end of the bloodshed in 2022 after the start of the war in Turkey. At that time, the signing of an agreement failed.