ISTANBUL, Turkey (AP) — Delegations from Ukraine and Russia traveled to Turkey Thursday for peace talks, but while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was present, his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin stayed away, prompting criticism from Western officials that the Kremlin isn’t serious about the efforts to end the war.
Zelenskyy said the Russian delegation appeared to be merely “decorative.” Speaking at the airport in the Turkish capital, Ankara, he said the next steps for talks would be decided after his upcoming meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to Putin, will lead the Russian team that will also include three other senior officials, the Kremlin said. Putin also appointed four lower-level officials as “experts” for the talks in Istanbul.
20th century? The Yalta Conference was a pretty big one in WWII. Churchill, FDR and Stalin all met to determine what was to be done about a certain Austrian and his fan club.
I don’t think this is a good counter argument since this was more allies getting together to discuss and negotiate plans. Zelensky and Putin would be more like the Emperor of Japan meeting with FDR to discuss a peace treaty for Japan. Or Hitler and Churchill getting together.
Leaders usually wait until an agreement is in place before putting their reputations on the line, as there’s always resistance from hardline “fight to the end” factions. It’s smarter to confront that opposition only when the benefits of a deal are assured.