Stood Up: Russia’s Putin Skips Talks With Ukraine After Proposing Them

Delegations from Russia and Ukraine arrived in Turkey Thursday for the first direct peace negotiations in more than three years, though expectations for a breakthrough were dashed after Russian President Vladimir Putin declined to attend the talks that he himself had suggested, Radio Free Europe reported. 

Thursday’s talks took place at Istanbul’s Dolmabahçe Palace, with low-level negotiators from both sides attending the high-stakes negotiations aimed at ending the Ukraine war. 

They come less than a week after Putin offered direct talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “without preconditions.” His proposal followed an ultimatum by Kyiv’s allies in Europe to Moscow to either accept a ceasefire offer or risk additional sanctions. 

Russian state media confirmed that the delegation was led by Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky, accompanied by Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin and military intelligence chief Igor Kostyukov, among others.  

However, Kremlin officials said Putin wouldn’t attend the talks because there were “no preparations” for them held between the Russian leader and US President Donald Trump – who initially suggested he would attend the talks if Putin showed up, according to NBC News. 

Putin’s absence has prompted questions among leaders and diplomats about whether Moscow is serious about reaching a ceasefire in Ukraine.  

Zelenskyy – who arrived in Ankara but did not attend the talks – called the Russian delegation “decorative” and questioned whether it had the authority to seriously negotiate. He reiterated that he would only engage in face-to-face talks with Putin himself. 

Other Ukrainian officials warned that Putin’s move signals that Russia “does not want peace,” while Lithuania’s ambassador to Sweden, Linas Linkevičius, predicted the talks would be used by Moscow to stall and prepare for further military campaigns. 

Russian analyst Natalia Shavshukova told RFE that Putin’s true aim is a direct meeting with Trump, not peace with Ukraine. 

Meanwhile, the European Commission circulated a draft regulation this week to reinstate pre-war import quotas on key Ukrainian agricultural exports as the bloc’s wartime waivers are set to expire next month, Politico added.  

Following Russia’s 2022 invasion, the European Union waived duties and quotas on Ukrainian farm goods under special rules set to expire on June 5.  

The bloc now plans to replace them with adjusted limits under Ukraine’s existing trade deal to avoid annual renewals. 

But critics warned the move could harm Ukraine’s economy and send the wrong signal about the EU’s support for Ukraine as the war drags on.