Ukraine laid out its pre-negotiation demands for this week’s talks, saying a ceasefire must be in place before they begin and the Russian President must be physically present for discussions to take place.
A failure by Russian President Vladimir Putin to turn up to planned Ukraine War talks in Istanbul this week would be the final and incontrovertible sign that Russia really has no interest in peace whatsoever, Ukraine has warned. Senior President Zelensky ally, the head of his Presidential Office Andriy Yermak, told a conference on Tuesday that, as well as the President of Russia’s presence being a prerequisite for talks, Ukraine would also refuse to participate if a ceasefire hadn’t been enacted before getting around the table.
Yermak said, per the Ukrainian government: “Ukraine is ready for any format of negotiations with Russia, but a ceasefire must come first”. Ukrainian state media paraphrased his remarks as “it is impossible to negotiate while the Ukrainian people are under constant missile and drone attacks by Russia. That is why a ceasefire regime is a crucial and necessary prerequisite.”
He confirmed that President Zelensky “is ready and will be in Turkey” ready for talks, as Zelensky himself had intimated last week.
Of the requirement to have President Putin himself around the table and the implicit threat to walk away if he doesn’t acquiesce, Yermak continued: “Yesterday, President Trump made a very strong and clear statement that he expects both leaders to be present in Turkey. He is also considering a visit there. I believe that if Vladimir Putin refuses to come to Turkey, it will be the final signal that Russia does not want to end this war – that Russia is neither willing nor ready for any negotiations.”
These comments were echoed by Ukrainian presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak, who said that in a top-down system like Russia, only Putin can really make decisions, as no power is truly delegated. He said, reports The Times, “Only Putin can decide whether the war continues or ends… It’s clear that even people with formal ministerial status — or even someone like [the prime minister] — are unlikely to be authorised to make key decisions.”
If Russia proves in this way that it is not truly interested in peace—Ukraine has long insisted that Moscow’s involvement in talks was always only half-hearted, meant to string other partners along to buy time for the battlefield—Yermak said the nations of the world should punish it by handing yet more military assistance to Ukraine.
The remarks are followed by hours of new remarks from senior advisor to the U.S. President Steve Witkoff to Breitbart News, who said that President Zelensky and Putin meeting in person should be the next step in ending the killing in Ukraine. He said, “I think the Russians actually do want a peaceful settlement, and both sides are trying to figure out what that means for them. Our job is to put them in a room together and show them that the alternatives to a peaceful resolution here are bad for everybody. That’s our job.”
On Putin’s importance and the criticism from some quarters over speaking to him at all, he said: “There is no deal without President Putin’s sign-off. He is the leader of the Russian Federation, so the notion of not talking to President Putin is somehow something people are against. I don’t understand that logic.”
It is reported that President Trump—who is already in the Middle East and plans to stay there for the next few days—will be able to rapidly travel to Istanbul to engage with the talks if his presence would be beneficial.
Witkoff said Trump had issued an “ultimatum” to Ukraine and Russia to make progress on peace.
The Kremlin did not respond to the demands for Putin to be present in Istanbul on Thursday, but offered a broader comment through the Russian President’s spokesman that “Russia is moving forward with preparations for the talks that are expected to take place on Thursday” and that it did not intend to comment on specifics further on Tuesday morning.
Spokesman Peskov did take the opportunity to reiterate well-worn Russian accusations that Ukraine was not trustworthy on ceasefires, however, claiming the country had “consistently broken” previous ceasefires unilaterally announced by President Putin at Easter and for Victory in Europe Day. In turn, Ukraine has accused Russia of the same thing.
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