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Trump connected Russia, Ukraine "good news"
Istanbul — Russia and Ukraine traded insults connected Thursday arsenic negotiators were due, tentatively, to conscionable successful Turkey for the archetypal nonstop bid talks successful much than 3 years. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy slammed Russia for sending a "decorative" delegation arsenic helium touched down successful Ankara for a gathering with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Russian officials, for their part, called Zelenskyy "pathetic" and a "clown" for challenging President Vladimir Putin to amusement up successful idiosyncratic for the talks, portion touting further territorial gains successful eastbound Ukraine.
The Kremlin made it wide connected Thursday that President Trump's propulsion for a ceasefire successful the three-year war — a warfare helium repeatedly claimed helium could extremity wrong hours — was not changing Moscow's entrenched presumption connected the standoff.
The speech of idiosyncratic barbs betwixt Moscow and Kyiv undermined the chances of immoderate breakthrough astatine the talks successful Turkey. It wasn't adjacent wide if immoderate talks betwixt the warring parties would instrumentality place.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrives successful Turkey's superior Ankara to conscionable with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, May 15, 2025.
Muhammed Selim Korkutata/Anadolu/Getty
Putin did not travel to Turkey, contempt days of planetary pressure. Instead Russia's negotiating team, which touched down successful Istanbul connected Thursday morning, was led by a hardline historiographer and Kremlin adjutant who has denied Ukraine's close to exist.
"We request to recognize the level of the Russian delegation and what their mandate is, if they are susceptible of making immoderate decisions themselves," Zelenskyy said from the tarmac astatine Ankara airport. "From what we see, it looks much similar a decorative" deployment by Moscow, helium added.
President Trump said helium was keeping unfastened the anticipation of travelling to Turkey connected Friday, if determination was immoderate meaningful advancement successful the talks. But the lack of Putin — arsenic good arsenic immoderate apical diplomats specified arsenic Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov oregon overseas argumentation adjutant Yuri Ushakov — appeared to diminish the talks' importance, oregon immoderate anticipation of a breakthrough.
Russia said negotiations would instrumentality spot successful the "second fractional of the day," but Zelenskyy said helium would determine upon his delegation's attack lone aft gathering with Erdogan.
Russia hurls insults astatine Zelenskyy for calling connected Putin to negotiate
Russian overseas ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova deed backmost astatine Zelenskyy's disapproval of Moscow's delegation astir immediately. Speaking astatine a briefing successful Moscow, she called him a "dummy", a "clown" and a "loser."
Lavrov called Zelenskyy "pathetic" for trying to transportation Putin to crook up successful person.
"At archetypal Zelenskyy made immoderate benignant of statements that demanded Putin travel personally. Well, a pathetic person," helium said successful a televised code to diplomats successful Moscow.
Mr. Trump, who has been pushing for a swift extremity to the three-year war, said helium mightiness spell to Turkey if helium saw meaningful progress.
"You know, if thing happened, I'd spell connected Friday," helium said during a sojourn to Qatar connected Thursday.
Speaking astatine a NATO gathering successful the Turkish coastal metropolis of Antalya, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington was "impatient" and consenting to see "any mechanism" to execute a lasting extremity to the war.
Rubio is expected successful Istanbul connected Friday, "for meetings with European counterparts to sermon the struggle successful Ukraine," according to the US State Department said.
Putin himself made the astonishment telephone for nonstop negotiations aft Kyiv and European leaders pressured him to hold to a afloat and unconditional 30-day ceasefire — a telephone helium besides rejected.
No nearer to a Ukraine-Russia bid deal?
Despite the flurry of diplomacy, Moscow and Kyiv's positions stay acold apart. The Kremlin's naming of Vladimir Medinsky, a hardline adjutant to Putin though not a large decision-maker, arsenic its apical negotiator suggested Moscow does not program to marque concessions.
Medinsky led failed negotiations successful 2022, successful which Moscow made sweeping claims to Ukrainian territory and demanded restrictions connected Kyiv's military. He is known for penning ultra-nationalistic schoolhouse textbooks that question Ukraine's close to beryllium and warrant the ongoing invasion.
Even arsenic helium touched down successful Turkey, Russia's defence ministry claimed successful a societal media station that troops had captured 2 much villages successful eastbound Ukraine, Torskoye and Novooleksandrivka successful the Donetsk region.
Russia besides sent a lawman overseas minister, lawman defence curate and the caput of its GRU subject quality bureau to Turkey.
Zelenskyy said Kyiv had sent a top-level delegation.
"Our delegation is astatine the highest level - the ministry of overseas affairs, the bureau of the president, the military, our quality agencies... successful bid to marque immoderate decisions that tin pb to conscionable peace," helium said successful Ankara.
Russia insists the talks code what it calls the "root causes" of the conflict, including a "denazification" and demilitarization of Ukraine. These vague presumption that Moscow has utilized to warrant its penetration are wide rejected by Kyiv and the West.
Officials successful Moscow person besides repeated that Ukraine indispensable cede territory occupied by Russian troops and propulsion retired of immoderate areas inactive nether Ukrainian control.
Kyiv wants an contiguous 30-day ceasefire and says it volition not admit its territories arsenic Russian. But Zelenskyy has acknowledged that Ukraine mightiness lone get them backmost done diplomatic means.
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