Zelenskyy: 'If it turns out that Russian delegation is theatrical, world must respond'

Zelenskyy said that this week there was a real opportunity to take steps toward ending this war if Putin hadn't been afraid to come to Türkiye.

The Ukrainian President emphasized that he was ready for a personal meeting, whether in Ankara or Istanbul, with the Russian leader to resolve all substantial issues. But Putin refused, and instead, Russia sent a low-level delegation to Istanbul. As Zelenskyy pointed out, not a single member of that delegation has decision-making authority in Russia.

"Still, I sent our team to Istanbul, led by Ukraine's Minister of Defense, at least to see if those Russians can actually decide anything. Our number one priority is a full and unconditional ceasefire. This must happen immediately to stop the killing and create a solid basis for diplomacy, first of all. If the Russian representatives in Istanbul today cannot even agree to that, to a ceasefire, to this clearly necessary first step, then it will be 100% clear that Putin continues to undermine diplomacy," the Ukrainian President said.

Zelensky stressed that the Ukrainian delegation in Istanbul has the authority to make decisions. The President of Ukraine added that Russia sent nearly the same individuals to Türkiye as it did in 2022. In his view, this shows that Russia has not changed its fundamental approach.

"They (Russians - ed.) make many statements, many threats, but solve nothing. They are doing everything they can to turn this Istanbul meeting into a staged, empty process just like the one in 2022. It's not us or Western leaders who are disrupting the negotiations. The Russians have been claiming for years is the Russians who send empty heads to the talks. That's what destroys the meaning of diplomacy. So if it turns out that the Russian delegation really is just theatrical and can't deliver any results today, the world must respond. There needs to be a strong reaction," Zelenskyy stated.

The Ukrainian President believes that Putin's actions should be met with sanctions against Russia's energy sector and banks. Zelenskyy emphasized that pressure must continue to build until real progress is made.

"Ukraine is ready to take all realistic steps to end this war... And we need a full stop to the killing, long enough to give diplomacy a real chance," the Ukrainian leader said.

Zelenskyy also noted that another necessary step is to build at least a minimal process of trust in the negotiations. According to him, this can be done through the exchange of prisoners of war, the return of Ukrainian children who were taken to Russia, as well as the release of civilians.

"We also need to clearly define which issues must be handled at the leadership level, not below. We all know who makes the real decisions in Russia," Zelenskyy added.

Ukraine-Russia talks in Istanbul

On Friday, May 16, talks between the Ukrainian and Russian delegations took place in Istanbul. These were the first direct negotiations between the sides since 2022.

The Ukrainian team is led by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, while the Russian side is headed by Putin's aide Vladimir Medinsky, who also took part in the negotiations at the start of the full-scale war.

The composition of the Russian delegation was criticized. Putin sent low-level officials to Istanbul, which raised doubts about Moscow's seriousness of intent.

Moreover, Russia insisted that the US not be included in the talks. Ukraine saw this as an attempt to block peace efforts.

Before the negotiations with Russia, the Ukrainian delegation also held separate consultations with national security advisors from the US, the UK, France, and Germany, as well as meetings with senior officials from the US and Türkiye.

To find out more about the negotiations, read our material on the topic.