VLADMIR Putin will not attend the crunch Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Istanbul this week, snubbing President Zelensky.
The list for the Russian delegation at Thursday’s meeting was released by the Kremlin – and Putin’s name was a glaring omission.
AFPPutin will not be in Istanbul on Thursday[/caption]
APRussian rockets continue to fly as peace talks grind on[/caption]
APThe aftermath of a Russian firestorm in Ukraine’s Sumy region on Wednesday[/caption]
Zelensky had challenged Putin to meet him face-to-face to hammer out a deal, but Putin has chosen to dodge the path to peace once again.
Shortly after it was established Putin was staying away, a US official confirmed that Trump would not be attending either – after previously hinting he might.
It’s not clear whether Zelensky will still go to Istanbul.
Trump first toyed with a detour from his blockbuster Middle East tour to Istanbul on Monday, when he said: “I was thinking of flying over. I don’t know where I am going be on Thursday. There’s a possibility there I guess if I think things can happen.”
Speaking on Air Force One on Wednesday, Trump said: “[Putin] would like me to be there, and that’s a possibility.
“I don’t know that he would be there if I’m not there. We’re going to find out.”
Trump previously said he would send Secretary of State Marco Rubio and senior envoys Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg.
Russia is still sending a troop of heavyweights – including a presidential advisor, top diplomat, and senior military and intelligence officials – but Putin’s absence is significant.
Turning up would have been an indication that he is taking the peace process seriously – and a meeting of all three leaders would have been momentous.
Putin’s absence will fuel the belief that he is not actually interested in ending the war – as Zelensky has said many times.
The Russian swerved the meeting despite his Brazilian counterpart and acquaintance President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva urging him to go.
Lula was in Moscow last week for Putin’s thunderous Victory Day parade, and phoned Putin on Wednesday evening telling him to meet Zelensky.
The direct talks between Russia and Ukraine were first suggested by Putin himself.
Assuming the plan goes ahead, it will mark the first time the two countries have directly negotiated since March 2022 – a month after Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine.
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