For them 12:30 Noon is set to start direct negotiations Russia – Ukraine in Constantinople, according to Reuters. This time is in progress the Trilateral talks of US, Ukraine and Turkey in Constantinople with the participation of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The Expectations for Russia -Ukraine conversations are still low todayafter yesterday’s day in confusion and diplomatic fermentations, as the two delegations in Constantinople failed to agree even at the time they met, resulting in yesterday’s meeting.
In today, the Russian side is represented by the Vladimir Mentinsky – Former Minister of Culture and Head of Failed Talks of 2022 – as well as by Deputy Ministers of Defense and Foreign Affairs and the Head of Military Information Service (GRU).
The Ukrainian delegation will be headed by the Minister of Defense Rustem Umero, According to a decree signed by President Zelenski. With him will be senior officials from the Intelligence Services, the General Staff and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
So far this is about ‘The conversations that never took place’, comments on the analysis of the BBC.
Yesterday, we heard Volodimir Zelenski tell Turkey that he was ready and willing to meet Vladimir Putin.
It was Putin himself who proposed last weekend to have peace talks without conditions – he even proposed the time and place. But in the end … it didn’t appear.
The Ukrainians were not satisfied with the level of the Russian delegation. They said it consists of ‘Low -ranking’ officials no power to make decisions.
Now, the head of the Russian delegation, who is a president’s adviser, says he will expect the Ukrainians to appear.
The Turks, who mediate these peace talks, ‘Make the impossible possible’ to sit on the two sides on the same table.
All of this is played in the shadow of Donald Trump’s statements, who said that “Nothing is going to happen unless I meet Putin myself.”
And he is likely to be right – but this makes what is happening or is not happening today in Constantinople – rather without importance.
For Ukrainians there is the risk that President Zelenski will stay on the sidelines – and that is His great fear: that he will become an agreement in absentia.
The feeling on the Ukrainian side is that the Trump shows steadily favoring to Putin. Let’s not forget, the BBC analysis concludes that Zelenski rushed to Turkey while Putin didn’t go – But the US president did not hear a single word of criticism.