Zelenskyj nobbar meeting in Turkey – sends the Minister of Defense

The summit in Istanbul was scheduled for nine o’clock on Thursday morning and Zelenskyj, who is in the Turkish capital Ankara had announced that he would travel to the meeting if the Russian leader Vladimir Putin shows up.

But that will not be the case. At a press conference on Thursday afternoon, Zelenskyj notes that neither Putin nor US President Donald Trump, who is in the United Arab Emirates, will show up.

« There is nothing for me to do in Istanbul, » says the Ukrainian president.

He says that the Russian action shows that the country is not « seriously engaged » in the attempts to reach an agreement.

« Russia does not feel compelled to end the war, which means that there is not enough political and economic pressure on the Russian Federation, » the president said.

Zelenskyj says that it The Ukrainian delegation will instead be led by the country’s defense minister Rustem Umjerov. Ukraine is also waiting for a message from the United States and Turkey, which mediates in the negotiations, about a time when the meeting will begin.

At the press conference in Ankara, however, Zelesknyj opens for a ceasefire to get rid of without a meeting between the presidents – if the countries’ delegations manage to agree on the technical details during the meeting in Istanbul.

According to state Russian media The Kremlin states that the country’s delegation is in place in Istanbul and « ready to resume the negotiation process ». The Russian delegation is led by Putin’s adviser Vladimir Medinsky. The Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin is also expected to participate.

If the meeting in Istanbul gets rid of it is the first time since 2022 that direct conversations are held between Ukraine and Russia. The latest talks were held shortly after the Russian invasion began, even when the delegations negotiated in Istanbul.

Medinsky says on Thursday afternoon that Russia sees the talks as a continuation of the collapsed negotiations in 2022 and that the goal is a long -term peace.

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