Progress on Russia-Ukraine peace talks will depend on a leaders meeting with President Vladimir Putin, President Donald Trump said.
The presence of the U.S. President may be instrumental in unlocking peace talk progress, Donald Trump has said after Russia’s Vladimir Putin failed to answer Ukraine’s summons to be in Istanbul today.
Responding to the no-show, President Trump reflected: “And obviously he wasn’t going to go. He was going to go, but he thought I was going to go.
“He wasn’t going if I wasn’t there and I don’t believe anything’s going to happen, whether you like it or not, until he and I get together, but we’re going to have to get it solved because too many people are dying.”
Reenforcing that point, Trump later added: “Nothing is going to happen until Putin and I get together.”
Ukraine’s Zelensky, who landed in Turkey this morning and goaded Putin into appearing by telling press “I’m here. I think this is a very clear message”, criticised the Russian for having insulted their hosts by not turning up.
He said on Thursday afternoon that Putin had showed “personal disrespect” to President Erdogan of Turkey, and, saying the stunt proved Russia is not serious about peace appealed to his Western backers to provide more arms to Kyiv to “pressure” Moscow.
Zelensky told reporters: “after we saw the level of the Russian delegation … unfortunately we saw they are not serious about negotiations”.
What happens next is unclear. Neither Ukraine nor Russia have said talks are off, although Ukraine has repeatedly briefed that negotiating with anyone below Putin himself is a waste of time because no power is delegated in the Russian system, and only Putin can take the decision for peace.
Talks were meant to begin on Thursday morning but have been pushed back and back again, but may commence yet overnight or on Friday morning, even if Zelensky himself is due to leave the country tomorrow.
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