Russia’s decision to appoint Medinsky to lead the talks suggests it aims to revive negotiations along the lines of the fruitless 2022 Istanbul round, which included demands such as limiting Ukraine’s military and blocking it from rebuilding with Western support – terms Kyiv has rejected as unacceptable. Pressure had built on Putin to attend the talks since Zelenskiy and then Trump called on him to travel to Istanbul to discuss a potential peace deal. European leaders have promised to increase pressure on Russia if the talks in Turkey failed, but the key question remains whether they can bring Trump on board with their efforts to tighten the screws on Moscow.
Author: Pjotr Sauer in Istanbul, Andrew Roth in Washington
Published at: 2025-05-14 22:01:18
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