What to know about possible Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Turkey

TALLINN – The talks person taken spot successful the warring capitals of Moscow and Kyiv, from Washington and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to countries crossed Europe. Now, each eyes are yet turning to Istanbul to question an extremity to Russia's 3-year-old, full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed restarting nonstop bid talks Thursday with Ukraine successful the Turkish metropolis that straddles Asia and Europe. And President Volodymyr Zelenskyy challenged the Kremlin leader to conscionable successful Turkey successful person.

What volition unfold remains unclear. The Kremlin has refused to corroborate who's going to Turkey and whether it volition see Putin. Ukrainian statesmanlike advisor Mykhailo Podolyak said Zelenskyy volition lone beryllium down with the Russian leader.

Zelenskyy said Tuesday that “if Putin does not get and plays games, it is the last constituent that helium does not privation to extremity the war."

What's known astir the imaginable talks:

How did the thought of talks successful Turkey arise?

On Saturday, Zelenskyy hosted French President Emmanuel Macron, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk successful a amusement of unity. They issued a coordinated telephone for a 30-day ceasefire successful Ukraine starting Monday.

The program has received backing from the European Union and U.S. President Donald Trump, who had promised during his run to swiftly extremity the warfare that is present successful its 4th year. The leaders pledged tougher sanctions connected Russia if Putin did not judge the proposal.

In remarks to the media aboriginal Sunday, however, Putin efficaciously rejected the connection and projected restarting nonstop talks with Ukraine successful Istanbul alternatively “without preconditions.” He did not specify whether helium envisioned the talks to impact Zelenskyy and himself personally, oregon with lower-level officials.

Zelenskyy responded by insisting connected a ceasefire, saying helium volition question to Turkey — and challenged Putin to bash the same: “I volition beryllium waiting for Putin successful (Turkey) connected Thursday. Personally. I anticipation that this clip the Russians volition not look for excuses.”

Who’s coming and why?

Pressed by reporters connected who volition correspond Russia successful Istanbul, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov refused to say, stressing that Putin had outlined Russia’s presumption intelligibly enough.

Trump's medication initiated abstracted talks with Russia and Ukraine in Saudi Arabia successful March. But since then, the medication has indicated it mightiness retreat from the process if nary tangible advancement is made. Trump said Monday helium was optimistic astir the talks — a crisp opposition to a contentious Oval Office gathering with Zelenskyy connected Feb. 28. There is “the imaginable for a bully meeting” betwixt Putin and Zelenskyy, Trump said successful Washington. He added helium was “thinking astir flying over” aft his sojourn to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates but aboriginal said Secretary of State Marco Rubio and others from the U.S. volition spell to Turkey for the talks.

Podolyak connected Tuesday told a YouTube broadcast by salient Russian journalists successful exile that the Ukrainian person won't beryllium gathering immoderate Russian officials successful Istanbul different than Putin.

He added that “there are ever people” successful Zelenskyy’s entourage who tin “conduct definite negotiations astatine corresponding levels” with the Russians but questioned the constituent of a lower-level meeting. “Undoubtedly, lone Putin tin marque the determination to proceed the warfare oregon halt the war,” helium said.

Zelenskyy said Tuesday helium volition conscionable with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan successful the superior Ankara, and hold there. If the Russian person chooses Istanbul for the meeting, Zelenskyy said, past helium and Erdogan volition question there.

If Putin doesn’t show, European and U.S. leaders should travel done with further sanctions against Russia, helium added.

What happened astatine talks successful Istanbul successful 2022?

The Kremlin billed Thursday's talks arsenic a “restarting” of bid negotiations successful Istanbul successful 2022, aboriginal connected successful the war, that rapidly fell apart. Moscow had blamed Ukraine and the West for their alleged tendency to proceed fighting, portion Kyiv said Russia’s demands amounted to an ultimatum alternatively than thing the sides could mutually hold on.

Zelenskyy has said the Russian delegation’s demands included Ukraine’s designation of Russian power implicit the Donbas, an country successful eastbound Ukraine consisting of Donetsk and Luhansk regions; law amendments to state neutrality; a important simplification of Ukraine’s equipped forces; and the surrender of long-range weaponry. “There were ne'er immoderate negotiations; it was an ultimatum from a murderer,” helium said successful 2022.

Putin accused Ukraine of derailing a bid woody that was fundamentally agreed connected and included clauses of Ukraine’s neutral and nonnuclear presumption and details connected however overmuch its service would beryllium reduced. "The Kyiv authorities ... conscionable threw it each away. They turned it down,” Putin said successful 2023.

The Kremlin has said repeatedly “the Istanbul agreements” could service arsenic a ground for further bid talks. After Moscow illegally annexed the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia successful September 2022, Russian authorities started saying that Kyiv should besides admit “the world connected the ground.”

What are some sides' demands to extremity the war?

Putin past twelvemonth demanded that Ukraine cede the 4 regions, which it inactive does not afloat control. He besides wants Kyiv to admit the Crimean Peninsula, besides illegally annexed by Moscow successful 2014, arsenic Russian; Ukraine besides indispensable renounce its bid to articulation NATO and drastically trim its army. He besides demanded that the West assistance sanctions imposed connected Moscow aft the invasion.

Kyiv, successful turn, refused to cede immoderate onshore and wants robust information guarantees against aboriginal Russian aggression.

Trump, who has engaged successful a wide diplomatic effort to extremity the warfare since taking office, has said that Crimea, “will enactment with Russia.” He has besides said that Kyiv was improbable to ever articulation NATO.

What’s happening connected the battlefield?

Both sides are preparing a lukewarm upwind run connected the battlefield, wherever a warfare of attrition has killed tens of thousands of soldiers connected some sides on the astir 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) beforehand line.

The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington deliberation tank, said Russia is “quickly replenishing front-line units with caller recruits to support the battlefield initiative.”

In 2024 and much recently, Russian troops person made dilatory but dependable gains successful respective sections on the front.

Putin said successful March that Russian troops person “gained steam” and “are holding strategical inaugural each on the enactment of contact.” Zelenskyy warned that Russia was delaying talks successful mentation for bigger offensives.

Last month, Moscow’s forces besides declared that they afloat reclaimed chunks of Russia’s Kursk portion bordering Ukraine that Kyiv’s forces seized successful a astonishment incursion successful August 2024. Kyiv denied the claim, but it has been steadily losing crushed determination arsenic Moscow, aided by North Korean soldiers, worked to propulsion them retired and permission Ukraine without a cardinal negotiating chip.

Several attempts to found astatine slightest a partial ceasefire person been unsuccessful. Russia efficaciously rejected a 30-day unconditional truce; the Kremlin alternatively declared 2 short, unilateral ceasefires for holidays successful the past 2 months -– 1 for 30 hours astatine Easter and different for 72 hours to coincide with Russia's World War II Victory Day celebrations. In some cases, Kyiv and Moscow accused each different of failing to halt the fighting.

Russia and Ukraine besides pledged successful March to observe a 30-day halt to attacking vigor infrastructure that was brokered by the Trump administration. Both sides repeatedly accused each different of monolithic violations until the measurement expired.

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