Zelensky maintains the pressure on Putin before Thursday talks – Liberation

Volodymyr Zelensky assured Wednesday May 14 in the evening that Ukraine was « Lend to all forms of negotiations » in order to end the conflict launched in 2022 by Russia and that it would decide « Measures to be taken » As soon as he knows who will represent Moscow at the talks planned for Thursday in Istanbul. « I’m waiting to see who will happen from Russia », he added. A source in Ukrainian diplomacy told AFP in the afternoon that kyiv had « Still not received an answerAs for a presence of Vladimir Putin in Türkiye.

In recent days, the Ukrainian president has called – especially in Release – Vladimir Putin to surrender « in person » to these discussions, Initially announced by the master of the Kremlin And supposed to open a diplomatic process to find an outcome of more than three years of murderous Russian offensive in Ukraine. The Russian president, which appeared publicly on several occasions since the offer of Zelensky, has kept silent on the subject.

But Donald Trump, who pushes for a rapid end of the fighting between Russia and Ukraine, said on Wednesday that there was « One possibility » Let him go to Türkiye himself if his Russian counterpart was there too. « I don’t know if it goes. I know he would like me to be there. It’s a possibility « said the American president, while later specifying that his « Tomorrow program (Thursday) is complete ».

During his daily briefing, the spokesperson for Kremlin, Dmitri Peskov, did not wish to reveal the identity of the Russian representatives sent to speak with the Ukrainians: « Nothing has changed on this »he hammered. « The Russian delegation will wait for the Ukrainian delegation to Istanbul (Türkiye) on Thursday, May 15, that is to say tomorrow »however, he repeated, as the day before.

Vladimir Putin’s diplomatic advisor, Iouri Ouchakov, said on Russian television expecting the meeting to take place « in the morning » and what questions « Policy » And « Techniques » would be on the menu.

On the Ukrainian side, Volodymyr Zelensky must, whatever Vladimir Putin’s response to his proposal, meet in Ankara on Wednesday or Thursday the Turkish head of state Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Another safe thing for the moment, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will be in Türkiye for these Russian-Ukrainian discussions, as Donald Trump announced on Tuesday.

But Marco Rubio was expected on Friday in Istanbul, according to a senior American official, adding to uncertainty about the very date at which the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations will take place. These would be the first direct peace talks between Ukrainians and Russians on the outcome of the conflict since the failure of initial discussions that had been held in the wake of the Russian offensive on a large scale in February 2022.