Putin on Sunday proposed direct negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul. Late Wednesday, the Kremlin announced its delegation for Turkey, but it did not appear to include any of the high-level Russian officials who had previously met with U.S. negotiators. The list also did not include Putin himself.
Trump earlier this week pressed Ukraine to attend the talks, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he would do only if Putin was “not afraid” and showed up, setting up a potential diplomatic standoff.
While Trump wants the two sides to sign up to an immediate 30-day ceasefire, a proposal Zelensky backs, Putin said he wants talks to start first before any details of a ceasefire are discussed.
On Wednesday, Trump, who is visiting the Middle East this week, floated traveling to Turkey himself.
“[Putin would] like me to be there, and that’s a possibility. … I don’t know that he would be there if I’m not there. We’re going to find out,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One while flying to Qatar.
The Russian delegation that was announced Wednesday appeared to be a low-level diplomatic team that included deputy ministers in the Foreign Affairs and Defense departments, in addition to an aide to Putin. A separate Russian team of technical experts is also being dispatched to Istanbul, Russian state media reported Wednesday.
The European Union is readying a sanctions package — its 17th — that is expected to be imposed if the Kremlin fails to impose a ceasefire or engage in talks.
“European allies of the United States are uniformly very skeptical that Putin is at all interested in the ceasefire,” said Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), adding that he himself does not know if the talks will happen.
The Europeans “do want to be included in any deal if they’re going to be expected to provide security in a post-ceasefire moment. That’s a fair expectation. But the people who are closest to the situation on the ground — and I visited Finland, Germany, Poland, Ukraine in the last two months — are highly skeptical about any progress.”
Trump, who has grown increasingly frustrated with both Kyiv and Moscow as he seeks to broker a peace deal, has suggested the U.S. could impose sanctions on Russia but has not indicated on which sectors.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) has teamed up with Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) on sanctions legislation that has 70 co-sponsors, ensuring it could override a filibuster and also override a potential presidential veto.
Read the full report at TheHill.com.
