The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that Russia would make “adjustments” in its demands to Ukraine “due to developments on the ground,” a vague declaration following the Kremlin’s confirmation that strongman Vladimir Putin would reject Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s call to meet in person.
Putin suggested on Sunday that Russia and Ukraine should restart peace talks that began and rapidly evaporated in 2022 in the immediate aftermath of Russia’s full-scale invasion of the country. Putin had first invaded Ukraine in 2014 and has retained possession of the occupied Crimean peninsula ever since, but the “special operation” he began in February 2022 dramatically expanded the battlefield to include the nation’s capital Kyiv.
The Russian leader’s suggestion to engage in “direct” peace talks, mediated by Turkey, followed a call by the Ukrainian side to consider a full 30-day ceasefire to give time to find a roadmap to peace. Putin never addressed that ceasefire request directly.
The Ukrainians responded rapidly to the call for talks in Turkey. Zelensky personally flew to Turkey and is at press time in Ankara, awaiting the potential for any talks with Russia to begin. While the Kremlin confirmed Putin would not personally attend those talks, as Zelensky had suggested, it left the door open for possible lower-level conversations that at press time have not been reported to have happened.
Addressing potential peace talks in Turkey, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova asserted that Russia was within its right to change the terms of any negotiations and that the world should expect “adjustments.”
“Yes, there are adjustments in Russia’s stance. These changes are due to developments on the ground,” she told reporters, according to the Russian news agency Tass. Zakharova followed up with the threat that “each time when any agreement backed by Russia is breached, Ukraine becomes smaller,” paraphrasing prior comments by Russian Foreign Ministry Sergey Lavrov.
Tass confirmed that a Russian negotiator delegation is in Turkey for unspecified talks, but that Putin is not among them. The delegation is reportedly led by one of Putin’s aides, Vladimir Medinsky.
Zelensky, who arrived in Turkey prepared to meet Putin on Thursday, condemned Putin’s refusal to appear and dismissed the Russian delegation as a “sham” and “theatrical prop.” In an extended statement posted to social media, the Ukrainian president lamented that Russia was not treating the potential of peace with the seriousness it deserved and said that he would remain in Ankara, where he met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and would send a low-level delegation to Istanbul.
Erdogan and Zelensky spent over two hours in a private meeting on Thursday. Turkey has carved a unique place for itself in the Russia-Ukraine war as a key Black Sea power, a NATO member, and a longtime economic partner of Russia’s.
“Unfortunately, after learning the composition of the Russian delegation, it became clear that they are not approaching real talks seriously,” Zelensky wrote. “So far, we do not see any real decision-makers among those who arrived. Let me remind everyone: it was Russia that proposed holding direct negotiations. President Trump also supported the idea that leaders should meet.”
“Nevertheless, despite the extremely low level of the Russian delegation, out of respect — for President Trump, for the high-level delegations present in Türkiye, and for President Erdoğan,” Zelensky explained, “and out of a sincere desire to take at least the first steps toward de-escalation and ending the war, beginning with a ceasefire — I have decided to send a Ukrainian delegation to Istanbul.”
Zelensky’s effort followed signals from the Ukrainian side that it would no longer pursue talks with Russia if Putin did not appear in Turkey. Head of the Ukrainian Presidential Office Andriy Yermak, emphasizing President Donald Trump’s support for Putin and Zelensky to meet, stated on Wednesday, “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.”
Putin’s no-show dampened hopes on the Turkish side, as well, that a breakthrough to end the violence was on the horizon. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan was nonetheless enthusiastic about the possibility of progress on Thursday.
“After three years of unbearable suffering, a window of opportunity has finally opened up,” Fidan declared. “Let us hope that the negotiations in Istanbul will open a new chapter.”
Erdogan himself declared on Thursday that Turkey was emerging as the “center” of a new world order, citing his efforts in the Ukraine invasion as evidence.
“Our world is changing, the old order is crumbling, a brand-new equation is being established in our geography with Türkiye at its center,” Erdogan said at an event at the Organization Academy Leadership School, according to the state-run Anadolu news agency.
No results of any conversations between Ukrainian and Russian delegations have been published at press time by either side.
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