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Russia and Ukraine person agreed to a large-scale captive speech but failed to scope a breakthrough during their archetypal nonstop bid talks since 2022, held successful Istanbul without either Vladimir Putin oregon Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Sitting down nether unit from the US president, Donald Trump, Ukraine had pushed for a 30-day ceasefire earlier the talks. Moscow rejected this, appearing to instrumentality to its maximalist demands, including sweeping restrictions connected Ukrainian sovereignty.
Images from the meeting, held astatine the Dolmabahce Palace, were stark: a enactment of Russian delegates successful acheronian suits sitting other Ukrainians wearing their trademark greenish camouflage combat fatigues.
The lone tangible effect of the talks, which lasted little than 2 hours, was that the 2 sides agreed to speech 1,000 prisoners of warfare each, the largest captive swap of the conflict.
While the gathering appeared to execute small toward ending the conflict, it represents a symbolic triumph for Putin, who refused to judge the 30-day ceasefire that Ukraine and its European allies had demanded arsenic a prerequisite for talks.
The Russian person has been engaged successful a delicate balancing enactment with the US president, appearing to enactment bid talks to enactment successful Trump’s favour, portion pushing for presumption that successful effect magnitude to Ukraine’s capitulation.
The result is apt to beryllium seen arsenic a setback for Zelenskyy, coming aft his bold gamble of challenging Putin to a nonstop meeting successful the anticipation of winning favour with Washington and exposing what Ukraine describes arsenic the Russian leader’s hollow promises to extremity the war.
Vladimir Medinsky, the ultra-conservative caput of Russia’s delegation, said Moscow was satisfied with the results and was prepared to support talking to Kyiv.
Both sides said they discussed organising a gathering betwixt Zelenskyy and Putin, who person met lone once, successful 2019.
The stalemate appears to pave the mode for a US-Russia summit, aft Trump undercut the talks connected Thursday by saying that “nothing is going to happen” until helium meets Putin personally. On Friday, the US president, who had grown progressively impatient with the dilatory gait of negotiations, said helium would conscionable his Russian counterpart “as soon arsenic we tin acceptable it up”, raising fears successful Kyiv that they could beryllium sidelined portion others determine their fate.
Zelenskyy has spent the past fewer weeks accommodating assorted US demands to show his willingness to prosecute peace. But Trump’s latest remarks – framing a US-Russia acme arsenic the lone way to resolving the struggle – underscored his nonaccomplishment to power the US president’s thinking.
Expectations were already debased for the talks, with US officials playing down hopes and Moscow showing small willingness to compromise.
Russia stuck to its maximalist territorial demands, insisting that Ukraine surrender areas that Moscow does not adjacent control, according to a root successful the Ukrainian delegation cited by Reuters connected information of anonymity.
Ukraine’s occidental allies, alongside Zelenskyy, were speedy to denounce Russia’s position. Keir Starmer, who was successful Albania for a European summit, said the UK, France, Germany and Poland had agreed that the Russian presumption successful bid talks was “unacceptable” and had discussed the substance with Trump. A photograph showed the country’s leaders, alongside Zelenskyy, connected the telephone to Trump aft the failed talks.
Starmer said: “We conscionable had a gathering with President Zelenskyy and past a telephone telephone with President Trump to sermon the developments successful the negotiations today. And the Russian presumption is intelligibly unacceptable, and not for the archetypal time. So arsenic a effect of that gathering with President Zelenskyy and that telephone with President Trump we are present intimately aligning our responses and volition proceed to bash so.”
Zelenskyy renewed his calls for sanctions connected Moscow if it failed to hold to a ceasefire. “Our presumption – if the Russians cull a afloat and unconditional ceasefire and an extremity to killings, pugnacious sanctions indispensable follow,” Zelenskyy said connected X. “Pressure connected Russia indispensable beryllium maintained until Russia is acceptable to extremity the war.”
Hopes successful Kyiv and among its European allies that Trump would enforce pugnacious sanctions aft the failed talks were dampened by the US president indicating helium wanted to conscionable Putin – leaving Moscow with small inducement to compromise successful Turkey.
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The gathering began 24 hours aboriginal than planned aft a frantic time of disorder and governmental theatrics.
Putin, who had projected the meeting, opted not to question to Turkey. Instead, helium sent a mid-level delegation, which led Zelenskyy to question Moscow’s seriousness, dismissing the Russian representatives arsenic specified “theatre props”.
Zelenskyy, who arrived successful Ankara connected Thursday, yet gave successful to US unit to proceed with the talks and agreed to nonstop a delegation to Istanbul led by Ukraine’s defence minister, Rustem Umerov.
“Unfortunately, [the Russians] are not superior capable astir the negotiations … Out of respect for President [Donald] Trump and [the Turkish leader, Recep Tayyip] Erdoğan, I person decided to nonstop our delegation to Istanbul now,” Zelenskyy said.
Behind the brinkmanship lies a cardinal and, for now, irreconcilable disagreement successful Zelenskyy and Putin’s approaches to peace.
Ukraine has consistently demanded a afloat 30-day ceasefire earlier entering substantive negotiations. It has indicated it whitethorn beryllium consenting to judge a frost of the frontlines and driblet its effort to articulation Nato, but lone successful instrumentality for accrued occidental subject and economical support, and information guarantees that could see European troops connected the ground.
Zelenskyy connected Friday reiterated that his fig 1 precedence was “a full, unconditional and honorable ceasefire. This indispensable hap instantly to halt the sidesplitting and make a coagulated ground for diplomacy.”
Moscow has consistently rejected extended ceasefire proposals, arguing they would springiness Ukraine clip to rearm and regroup astatine a clip of battlefield advances by Russian forces.
The Kremlin alternatively has sought to framework the gathering connected Friday arsenic a continuation of the fruitless talks held successful March 2022. At the time, Russia’s demands included drastically scaling backmost Ukraine’s equipped forces, blocking it from rebuilding with occidental support, and imposing different sweeping restrictions connected Ukrainian sovereignty. Kyiv has repeatedly rejected those terms.
Medinsky, who led the Russian delegation successful Turkey, is simply a hawkish Kremlin adjutant and erstwhile civilization curate who has repeatedly questioned Ukraine’s close to beryllium arsenic an autarkic nation. During the meeting, the self-styled historian, often criticised for humanities revisionism, reportedly invoked Tsar Peter I’s 21-year warfare against Sweden arsenic a informing to Ukraine, suggesting Moscow would outlast it successful a prolonged struggle and urging Kyiv to settee connected Russia’s terms.
Ruth Michaelson successful Istanbul contributed to this report
English (US) ·