The Kremlin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said that Russia will only confirm who will attend the peace talks in Istanbul, Turkey on Thursday when Vladimir Putin “deems it necessary.”
Putin was invited by the Ukrainian leader to start peace talks on 15 May, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that he “will be waiting for Putin in Turkey personally.”
The Kremlin has not confirmed if the Russian tyrant will attend the meeting on Thursday in Istanbul, Peskov said “the Russian side continues to prepare for the talks” in Turkey, the Kyiv Independent reported.
According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), it appears that Russian officials are setting strict conditions for Putin to possibly attend the talks in Turkey.
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Russian Federation Council Deputy Speaker Konstantin Kosachev said that Zelensky’s invitation is “pure spectacle” and “comedy.”
Alexei Chepa, Deputy Chairperson of Russia‘s State Duma Committee on International Affairs said he very much doubts that Putin will attend.
The ISW said, “Chepa insinuated that Russia cannot trust Ukraine in any negotiations because Ukraine has violated previous agreements and unilaterally imposed Russian ceasefires.”
Russian MP Sergey Mironov has claimed that “Zelensky’s readiness to meet Putin is a farce” and that Kyiv does not want peace.
Mironov claims, “Zelensky is engaging in monkey business in an attempt to seize the diplomatic initiative from the Russian president and please Donald Trump. No one invited him to Istanbul—he is not a legitimate or independent figure.”
Sources told Bloomberg that European leaders are waiting for the Zelensky-Putin meeting in Turkey before they announce sanctions.
