The Daily Examiner.
More than three years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the two nations agreed to finally holding direct peace talks in Istanbul. Notably, Vladimir Putin did not attend.
The issue was that Ukraine’s President Zelensky refused to meet with Russian aides, even though they had been waiting for Putin.
Ironically, despite his absence, it was Putin who proposed the peace talks instead of agreeing to a suggested 30-day ceasefire. From the outside, much like Russia’s 2024 presidential elections, the peace talks seem like a complete farce. Putin appears to be not only stalling the international community but also testing his “friendship” with U.S. President Donald Trump.
It was Trump who ran on a platform that he would he end the war in Ukraine quickly (in 24 hours), arguing that he was the only one with the gravitas and strength to handle the Russian leader. Yet Putin has repeatedly ignored Trump’s warnings.
Two days after Trump was inaugurated, the US president posted that new sanctions would be imposed on Russia if the conflict did not end quickly. Then in early and late March, Trump again threatened sanctions if there was no ceasefire. Most recently, on May 8, Trump called for a 30-day unconditional ceasefire, warning that violations would be met with sanctions.
Putin has disregarded every threat, and Trump continues to do nothing to follow through. The pattern seems to be repeating itself.
Now, Trump is trying to save face by claiming that peace talks are only possible if he and Putin meet in person.
If that was the case, why didn’t Trump himself attend? He was only a four-hour plane flight away, making billion dollar deals in the Gulf. But as recently as Thursday, Trump floated the idea that he would only attend if “something happened”.
Now US President Donald Trump in a social media post said that he will speak with Putin regarding the war in Ukraine on Monday, after which he plans to do the same with Ukraine’s Zelenskyy.
In his post, Trump said the subject of the call will be “stopping the ‘bloodbath”, after which he plans to speak to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and “various members of NATO.”
He added that he hopes the outcome of these calls will be a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia.
Remember ending Russia’s war was a key campaign promise during his presidential campaign.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed in comments to Russian media that preparations were underway for Monday’s call.
He told reporters that Moscow will present Ukraine with a list of conditions for a ceasefire, but gave no timeframe, or say what needed to happen before Zelenskyy and Putin can meet.
The US President has increasingly pressured both Moscow and Kyiv for an end to Russia’s war. In the past, he has said he doesn’t expect a significant breakthrough in peace talks unless he and Putin speak directly.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov about peace talks on Saturday, according to US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce.
Trump’s announcement comes less than a day after the first direct peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv in years failed to yield a ceasefire.
However, Russia showed little inclination to make concessions. During Friday’s peace talks, they asked Ukraine to withdraw from four regions Moscow had invaded – none of which Russia full controls.
While no agreement was reached concerning a ceasefire during these talks, the two sides agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war each – the largest such swap since the war began.
Ukraine and its Western allies had urged Russia to accept a US-backed 30-day ceasefire. However, Putin rejected this and instead proposed the negotiations in Istanbul “without preconditions.”
The Russian leader also spurned an offer by Zelenskyy to meet face-to-face in the peace talks.
Following the peace talks, Russia launched a drone strike on a passenger bus in the Ukrainian region of Sumy which killed at least nine people and injured seven more. Most of the passengers in the bus were elderly women, according to regional authorities.
