Zelensky “summons” Putin to Istanbul for direct talks

Brussels – Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin could meet in person in the coming days for the first time in over three years of conflict. The two presidents have pointed to Turkey as the place for potential talks, which Donald Trump (who also announced today that he might attend the meeting ‘if I consider it important for reaching an agreement’) is also pushing strongly. However, for now, diplomacy has only lined up a series of failed attempts, and no truce in the fighting is on the horizon.

The bandwagon of international diplomacy seemed to get back on track over the past weekend regarding the Ukraine war. A glimmer of cautious optimism seemed to pervade the European chancelleries after, at the end of a visit to Kyiv on Saturday (May 10), the leaders of France, Germany, Poland, and the United Kingdom managed to bring even the US president to their side.

The proposal put on the table by Emmanuel Macron, Friedrich Merz, Donald Tusk, and Keir Starmer – in agreement with Volodymyr Zelensky – was that of an unconditional 30-day ceasefire starting today (May 12) as a demonstration of good faith on the part of Vladimir Putin concerning the start of substantive negotiations on a political solution to the conflict. Even Donald Trump, who since returning to office seemed to be moving further and further away from Kyiv and closer to Moscow, agreed.

However, in the style he has accustomed the world to, the Russian president rejected the ceasefire but declared himself willing to engage in direct negotiations with the Ukrainian leadership in Turkey, avoiding tying his hands with any preconditions.

That was enough for Trump to return and put pressure on Zelensky. “HAVE THE MEETING, NOW!” wrote the New York-based tycoon on his social Truth, urging the Ukrainian counterpart to “immediately accept” the Russian czar’s offer. “At least they will be able to determine whether or not a deal is possible, and if it is not, European leaders, and the US, will know where everything stands and can proceed accordingly!” the White House tenant reasoned.

Last night (May 11), Zelensky therefore relaunched by challenging Putin to meet “personally” in Istanbul on May 15, hoping that “this time, the Russians will not look for excuses” to slip out of the talks. “We are waiting for a total and lasting ceasefire,” the Ukrainian president added, “to provide the necessary basis for diplomacy.”

Zelensky and Putin made openings in principle to direct talks as early as last month. Yet, there has been no concrete progress. As Trump recently said, the two warring countries remain light years away from a proper understanding, and all proposals for a ceasefire so far have been ignored from whichever side they came.

According to the official rhetoric, Zelensky maintains the line taken so far: no negotiations without a truce, which is the opposite of the Kremlin’s: first dialogue, then (possibly) a break in hostilities. It seems unlikely, however, that Kyiv can ignore pressure from the US administration, especially in light of the Ukrainian parliament’s ratification on May 8 of the much-criticized agreement on the exploitation of critical raw materials.

The day before the visit by Macron, Merz, Tusk, and Starmer to Kyiv, Putin hosted on Red Square in Moscow dozens of world leaders for the 80th-anniversary celebrations of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in 1945 (including Slovakian Robert Fico, in defiance of the proclaimed unity by the 27 member states on Ukraine’s side).

On the same day, several EU foreign ministers led by the EU diplomacy chief, Kaja Kallas, announced in Lviv the impending creation of a special tribunal for crimes of aggression against Ukraine, which should prosecute the Federation’s leadership.

The High Representative is in London these hours to attend the meeting of the Weimar+ group (composed of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, the UK, and Spain). “We must put pressure on Russia to sit at the table and talk to Ukraine,” she reiterated. “If there is no ceasefire, there can be no negotiations under fire,” she added, accusing Moscow of “playing games” with diplomatic initiatives. Europeans insist that if the Kremlin does not agree to suspend hostilities by the end of the day, they will impose new sanctions.