Trump plans to ask Russians 'what happened' at negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul - Macron
Donald Trump, President of the US (photo: Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump plans to have an exchange of views with the Russian side following the talks between representatives of Kyiv and Moscow in Istanbul on May 16. The American leader intends to clarify the situation, states French President Emmanuel Macron at a briefing in Tirana.
According to the French leader, his American counterpart plans to hold these talks with Moscow within the next few hours or days.
Macron made this statement in the Albanian capital, where the summit of the European Political Community is taking place.
The French president explained that Trump’s goal in this exchange of views is to have the opportunity to clarify what happened and try to move forward.
Macron once again expressed his support for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire in the theater of the Russia-Ukraine war, which Kyiv agrees to but Moscow refuses to accept.
He also reiterated his regret that Russian President Vladimir Putin refused a high-level bilateral meeting, despite a positive response from President (Volodymyr) Zelenskyy.
Ukraine-Russia negotiations in Istanbul
Earlier reports stated that on May 16, Ukraine and Russia held talks in Istanbul. One of the main outcomes was an agreement on the largest prisoner exchange since the war began. However, the Ukrainian side confirmed that Russia again made unacceptable demands during the negotiations in Türkiye.
According to Western media sources, during the meeting, the Russian side demanded the withdrawal of the Ukrainian Armed Forces from four regions of Ukraine as a condition for a ceasefire.
The parties in Istanbul failed to agree on a ceasefire because Kremlin representatives opposed such a step without the fulfillment of their conditions.
Commenting on today’s talks between the Kyiv and Moscow delegations in Istanbul, French President Macron noted that Russian President Putin is trying to buy time but does not want a ceasefire with Ukraine.
For more on why the Istanbul negotiations did not bring the war closer to an end, see the separate article by RBC-Ukraine.
We also covered everything known about the May 16 meeting between Ukraine and Russia representatives in Türkiye and what the parties decided after the negotiations.
