Vladimir Putin was not included in a list released by the Kremlin of who will attend discussions. Vladimir Putin sent instead a second-tier delegation to planned peace talks. Hopes of a major breakthrough were dented by U.S. President Donald Trump who said there would be no movement without a meeting between himself and Putin. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio later echoed that view.
MOSCOW MAY 15: Vladimir Putin was not included in a list released by the Kremlin of who will attend discussions between Russia and Ukraine in Turkey. The talks were first proposed by Putin in response to the ceasefire-or-sanctions ultimatum given to Moscow by Ukraine’s European allies, when the leaders of Germany, France, Poland and the United Kingdom demanded that Russia accept a 30-day ceasefire proposal or face a new round of “massive” sanctions.
Russia’s Vladimir Putin sent instead a second-tier delegation to planned peace talks, while Ukraine’s president said his defence minister would head up Kyiv’s team.
They will be the first direct talks between the sides since March 2022, but hopes of a major breakthrough were further dented by U.S. President Donald Trump who said there would be no movement without a meeting between himself and Putin. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio later echoed that view, telling reporters in the Turkish resort of Antalya that Washington “didn’t have high expectations” for the Ukraine talks in Istanbul.
Zelenskiy said Putin’s decision not to attend but to send what he called a “decorative” line-up showed the Russian leader was not serious about ending the war. Russia accused Ukraine of trying “to put on a show” around the talks.
Featured Image: www.kremlin.ru
