Zelensky sending defence minister to peace talks but says Putin 'not serious'
Russian President accused of ‘lack of respect’ after failing to attend the talks himself and sending low-level delegation
Volodymyr Zelensky has said he is sending his defence minister to peace talks in Istanbul with Russia but Vladimir Putin is "not serious" about "real talks".
Russian president Putin did not show up in Turkey on Thursday for proposed direct peace talks with the Ukrainian leader.
Mr Zelensky was waiting for the Russian leader in the capital of Ankara after challenging the Kremlin leader to face-to-face discussions on ending their three-year-old war.
But Putin sent just a low-level delegation for talks in Istanbul.
The Kremlin said the delegation would include presidential adviser Vladimir Medinsky and Deputy Defence Minister Alexander Fomin - but Putin’s name was not on the list.
Mr Zelensky accused him of sending "stand-in props" and Russia's foreign ministry hit back, calling the Ukranian leader a "clown and a loser".
Zelensky told a news conference on Thursday the Russian delegation doesn't include "anyone who actually makes decisions," accusing Moscow of not taking efforts to end the war seriously and showing a “lack of respect”.
But he said that to demonstrate to U.S.President Donald Trump that Ukraine is seeking an end to the conflict he had decided to send officials from Ankara to Istanbul.
He suggested talks could begin tonight.
He said the Ukrainian side would be headed by Defence Minister Rustem Umerov and its aim is "to attempt at least the first steps toward de-escalation, the first steps toward ending the war - namely, a ceasefire."
Putin's absence punctured hopes of a breakthrough in peace efforts that were given a push in recent months by the Trump administration and Western European leaders amid the intense maneuvering. It also raised the prospect of intensified international sanctions on Russia that have been threatened by the West.
A breakthrough in talks was also dampened when Trump said nothing was going to happen on Ukraine peace deal until he and Putin meet.
Trump said he was not surprised that Putin was a no-show. Trump had pressed for Putin and Zelenskyy to meet but brushed off Putin's apparent decision not to attend.
"I didn't think it was possible for Putin to go if I'm not there," Trump told reporters at a meeting with business executives in Doha, Qatar, on the third day of his visit to the Middle East.
Trump said a meeting between him and Putin was crucial to break the deadlock.
"I don't believe anything's going to happen whether you like it or not, until (Putin) and I get together," he said on Air Force One while traveling from Doha to Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. "But we're going to have to get it solved because too many people are dying."
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan earlier welcomed Zelensky with an honor guard at the presidential palace in Ankara before the two held talks.
"Now, after three years of immense suffering, there is finally a window of opportunity," Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said at a NATO meeting taking place separately in Turkey. "The talks ... hopefully may open a new chapter."
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