WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Ukraine's Zelenskiy insists on face-to-face talks with Putin in Istanbul

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Tuesday he would attend talks with Russia on the war in Ukraine this week only if Vladimir Putin is also there, and goaded him by saying the Russian leader was scared to meet him face-to-face.

The Kremlin has yet to say whether Putin will take part in the talks scheduled to be held in Istanbul on Thursday, more than three years into the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War Two.

The planned talks have become the main focus of peace efforts led by U.S. President Donald Trump, who said he would send Secretary of State Marco Rubio and has also offered to attend.

Trump is also sending senior envoys Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg, three sources familiar with the plans said.

Zelenskiy said he wanted to negotiate an unconditional 30-day ceasefire as a step toward ending the war, and that Putin should take part in talks because "absolutely everything in Russia" depends on him.

"We want to agree on a beginning to the end of the war," Zelenskiy told a press conference. But he added: "He (Putin) is scared of direct talks with me."

Zelenskiy said he expected the U.S. and the European Union to impose "strong sanctions" if talks did not take place.

Moscow and Kyiv have both sought to show they are working towards peace after Trump prioritised ending the war, which has raged since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Russian bombs killed at least three people in Ukraine's Kharkiv region on Tuesday, a local official said.

Putin on Sunday proposed direct talks with Ukraine, after ignoring a Ukrainian offer for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire. Trump publicly told Zelenskiy to accept the proposal.

The Ukrainian leader then said he would be waiting for Putin in Istanbul on Thursday, though the Kremlin chief had never made clear he intended to travel himself.

Asked who would represent Russia at the talks, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said: "As soon as the president sees fit, we will announce it."

TRUMP MAY ATTEND

During a speech in Saudi Arabia, Trump said Rubio would attend the talks on Thursday, as well as others. "We'll see if we can get it done," he said.

Kellogg, in an earlier interview on Fox Business Network, said Trump would join the talks in Istanbul if Putin showed up.

"We're hoping President Putin shows up as well, and then President Trump will be there. This could be an absolutely incredible meeting," he said. "We can get peace, I really believe, pretty fast if all three leaders sit down and talk."

Kellogg told Fox Ukraine was willing to accept a "ceasefire in place" in which Ukrainian and Russian forces would each back up 15 kilometres (9 miles), creating a demilitarized zone. International forces would be stationed west of the Dnipro River as a deterrent.

Ukrainian officials have not publicly said what ceasefire terms it may accept. Russia has said it would not accept international forces in Ukraine.

Ukraine's embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Newly elected Pope Leo promised Zelenskiy on Monday he would do his best to help bring about a just and lasting peace, a Zelenskiy aide said.

Reuters reported last year that Putin was open to discussing a ceasefirewith Trump but that Moscow ruled out making any major territorial concessions and demanded that Kyiv abandon ambitions to join NATO.

Ukraine has said it is ready for talks but a ceasefire is needed first, a position supported by its European allies.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying Moscow was ready for serious talks on Ukraine but doubted Kyiv's capacity for negotiations.

The agencies quoted him as saying realities "on the ground" should be recognised, including the incorporation of what Moscow calls "new territories" into Russia - a reference to territory in Ukraine that is occupied by Russian forces.

U.S. officials want Russia to agree to a comprehensive 30-day land, air, sea and critical infrastructure ceasefire, a senior U.S. official said.

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Moscow names topics for Istanbul talks with Kiev

Moscow wants to discuss a “sustainable settlement” with Kiev during possible upcoming talks in Istanbul, including the recognition of formerly Ukrainian territories as an integral part of Russia, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov has said.

The senior diplomat spoke with reporters about the proposed meeting on Tuesday, explaining that the issues Moscow would bring up are effectively “the same” it has in the past and largely concern the goals of Russia’s special military operation against Ukraine.

“They have been on the agenda all the time – how to ensure a reliable, sustainable settlement of the situation, first of all, by addressing the very roots of this conflict, resolving issues related to the denazification of the Kiev regime, ensuring recognition of the realities that have developed recently, including the entry of new territories into Russia,” Ryabkov stated.

The deputy minister was apparently referring to Kherson and Zaporozhye regions, as well as Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, which were incorporated into Russia in late 2022 following a string of referendums. In the aftermath of the 2014 Maidan coup in Kiev, Crimea also opted to break away from Ukraine, joining Russia via a referendum shortly after.

The senior diplomat refrained from making any prognosis on the potential outcome of the proposed talks, but stressed that Moscow is committed to negotiating “seriously and responsibly.”

“It is premature to make any predictions. The question should be addressed to the sponsors of the Kiev regime and Kiev itself. Are they ready to negotiate? We have a strong impression that with the current approach, these figures can be characterized by their inability to negotiate,” Ryabkov said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin offered to resume direct negotiations on Sunday. He insisted that the settlement process must start with talks, and that negotiations could ultimately lead to “some kind of new truce and a new ceasefire.”

The offer has received a mixed reaction from Kiev and its backers, who continued to say that negotiations must be preceded by at least a 30-day truce. The proposal, however, was backed by US President Donald Trump, who urged Kiev to “immediately” accept it. Following Trump’s statements, Ukraine shifted its position, and leader Vladimir Zelensky announced his readiness to meet with the Russian president “personally.”

On Tuesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov refused to comment on the prospect of Putin’s personal participation, confirming only that a Russian delegation will be “waiting” for the Ukrainian side in Istanbul on Thursday. Peskov did not disclose who exactly would represent Russia at the meeting, since he said he had not been authorized to say.

Reuters/RT