Russia and Ukraine Begin Strategic Talks in Dolmabahçe

Direct Negotiation Table to End the Ukraine War Set Up Again in Istanbul After 3 Years

The direct negotiation table to end the Ukraine war has been set up once again in Istanbul after three years.

Amid intense diplomatic traffic, there was speculation for days that Zelensky, Putin, and even Trump might attend the talks. However, none of these leaders came to Istanbul.

Volodymyr Zelensky, who arrived in Ankara with hope and worked hard to bring Putin to Istanbul, only met with President Erdoğan and returned to Kyiv disappointed.

While the whole world closely followed the concrete steps that Russia and Ukraine might take to end the bloody war at the table hosted by Turkey in Istanbul, Putin’s decision to send a low-level delegation—ignoring Zelensky’s invitation to “come to Istanbul, sit at the table, and reach an agreement”—was seen as clear evidence that Russia was not willing to agree to a ceasefire soon.

Putin turned his own proposal to “start unconditional direct talks in Istanbul on May 15” into a stalling game, putting U.S. President Donald Trump in a difficult position as well.

This situation indicated that Putin, not Trump, was effectively orchestrating the negotiations.

Due to Putin’s absence and Russia’s low-level delegation, Ukraine’s president assessed Moscow as “not serious” about the talks. He added that Ukraine accepted sending a delegation to Istanbul out of “respect” for Erdoğan and Trump.

The head of the Russian delegation and one of Putin’s aides, Vladimir Medinsky, said, “When President Putin proposed direct negotiations in Istanbul, he aimed to achieve a long-term lasting peace in the Ukraine conflict. He wants to eliminate the root causes of the dispute,” signaling that Russia will not sit at the table unconditionally.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, adding fuel to the fire in Moscow, called Zelensky “a poor man wanting to see Putin face-to-face in Istanbul,” and warned, “Don’t expect smooth talks in Istanbul.”

The critical talks between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations at the Dolmabahçe Presidential Working Office drew worldwide media attention. From early morning, international media outlets positioned in Beşiktaş have been broadcasting the developments live.

Intensive security measures were implemented around the Dolmabahçe Office by the Istanbul Police Department.

Source: Hürriyet