Trump's unexpected role in potential Russia-Ukraine talks
After Donald Trump's announcement of his willingness to join potential Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul, a series of intense diplomatic contacts began. Zelensky announced his readiness to meet with Putin, but the Kremlin remains silent. The US and the EU are pushing for a 30-day ceasefire.
As Reuters reports, American and European diplomats started intense phone consultations on Monday, after US President Donald Trump announced his intention to join the planned talks between Ukraine and Russia. The aim of these contacts was to develop a path to ending the war in Ukraine.
Will Trump go to Turkey?
Trump's surprising declaration that he would participate in the talks planned for Thursday in Istanbul came a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced he would go to Turkey and wait there for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. This represents another turn in the peace process, which has suffered interruptions for months.
In reaction to Trump's announcement, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held talks with his European counterparts – including the foreign ministers of the United Kingdom and France and the EU representative for foreign affairs. According to the State Department, the discussion focused on "the path to a ceasefire" in Ukraine. Official records indicate that the foreign ministers of Ukraine, Germany, and Poland also participated in the consultations.
Will a breakthrough meeting in Turkey occur?
Simultaneously, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held talks with his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan. The topic was direct talks between Moscow and Kiev, a proposal made by President Putin over the past weekend. The Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed this information.
It is still unclear who from the Russian side would appear in Istanbul to take part in the potential talks – it would be the first direct dialogue between representatives of both sides since the war began with Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The Kremlin has yet to respond to either Zelensky's offer to meet with Putin or Trump's proposal to join the talks.
If such a meeting occurs, it will be the first direct meeting between Zelensky and Putin since December 2019. Both leaders have not hidden their mutual hostility.
"Do not underestimate Thursday in Turkey," Trump said on Monday at the White House.
Russia does not want peace
Meanwhile, Ukraine and its European allies are trying to pressure Russia into agreeing to an unconditional 30-day ceasefire, which was supposed to begin on Monday. In a gesture of support for Zelensky, the leaders of four key European countries arrived in Kyiv on Saturday.
Earlier that same day, the German government announced that Europe would begin preparations to impose additional sanctions on Russia if the Kremlin does not comply with the ceasefire by the end of the day.
The Ukrainian armed forces reported on Monday that fighting in the east of the country continues with the same intensity.
Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin considered the Western and Ukrainian demands for a ceasefire as an "ultimatum." The Kremlin stated on Monday that such language is unacceptable for Russia.
On Tuesday, Konstantin Kosachev, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Federation Council, which is the upper house of the Russian parliament, spoke up. In an interview with the newspaper "Izvestia," he stated that the talks between Moscow and Kiev could go further than in 2022.
– If the Ukrainian delegation appears at these talks with a mandate to abandon any ultimatums and search for common ground, I am convinced that we can go further than in 2022 – "Izvestia" quotes Kosachev.
