Zelenskyy's Office warns: Without Putin in Istanbul, there is no point in negotiations
Photo: Mykhailo Podolyak, advisor to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine (Vitalii Nosach / RBC-Ukraine)
Negotiations with Russia in Istanbul without the personal participation of the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, are meaningless. Only he, as the initiator of the war, can make decisions, and a delegation without a mandate is just an attempt to buy time and create the illusion of dialogue, states Mykhailo Podolyak, advisor to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, in a comment to the YouTube channel RBC-Ukraine.
Podolyak sharply reacted to media reports that Russia would allegedly be represented at negotiations with Ukraine by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and President Putin's assistant Yuri Ushakov.
"There can be nothing but nonsense when Russia is present. Look, Lavrov and Ushakov are not the people who make the relevant decisions; they do not influence these decisions. They are non-functional individuals who perform, let's say, more of an informational role. Especially Lavrov. He makes certain statements that are not distinguished by adequacy. They (the Russians – ed.) continue to insist through Lavrov on what they began the war with," said the advisor to the head of the President's Office.
Therefore, according to the high-ranking official, if Putin does not personally participate in the negotiations, there will be no point in those negotiations.
Putin's informational game and Ukraine's response
"Putin had to somehow react to all of this (to the Coalition of the Willing meeting in Ukraine on May 10, during which Russia was urged to immediately cease fire for 30 days, and this was supported by the USA – ed.). Undoubtedly, they don't want, can't, and won't cease fire. Without coercion, they are definitely not interested in doing this. And so, Putin proposed what he thought was a very good informational game," Podolyak added.
In his opinion, Putin announced his readiness for the negotiation process in Türkiye, but did not expect what would follow.
"And then, Ukraine gave a clear structural response. We said, look, we understand that you have an authoritarian vertical of power, we understand that Putin is the sole author of the war, undoubtedly, everyone participates in it, performing various functions, but the author is Putin. Meanwhile, Ukraine offers. Look, there is a person responsible for the war, and it is clear that decisions can only be made at Putin's level. Well, if you want to participate in negotiations in Türkiye, we're waiting for you," Podolyak explained.
Putin's unwillingness to negotiate
After this proposal was made by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the head of the United States, Donald Trump, immediately delivered a highly interested speech, the official recalled.
"He said that he would be willing to personally join the negotiation process. So, if it were the president of Ukraine, the leader of Russia, and the mediator – the president of the United States, in that case, one could expect a very specific result. But again, considering Putin's psychological profile, he doesn't know how to take a punch, he doesn't know how to really play, he doesn't know how to conduct negotiations, he doesn't know how to speak on platforms he doesn't totally control. He is very afraid. And expecting that Putin will continue to play this game is definitely nonsense," said the advisor to the head of the President's Office.
'Propaganda delegation' instead of a personal meeting
Therefore, Podolyak believes that Putin will most likely send a delegation that is supposed to create, in his opinion, the impression that Russia is ready for negotiations and ending the war. However, this will be "an exclusively propaganda delegation" if Putin is not part of it, and it will not be authorized to make any decisions.
"They (the Russians – ed.) just want to buy time and delay the possibility of using tougher sanctions against Russia. Or, to delay the supply of anti-missile weapons to Ukraine. Standard, all predictable, and so on," Podolyak concluded.
Negotiations in Istanbul
Putin rejected the ceasefire proposed by Ukraine and the Coalition of the Willing and suggested holding peace talks in Istanbul on May 15, starting from where they left off in 2022. Türkiye agreed to act as a mediator in these negotiations.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy agreed to visit Istanbul on May 15 and stated that he was waiting for a personal meeting with Putin.
However, Putin has not yet responded whether he is willing to personally attend the negotiations in Türkiye.
Everything known about the possible negotiations in Türkiye can be found in the RBC-Ukraine material.
