after the Ukrainian president, Volodimir Zelenski, accepted in the afternoon to send a negotiating team despite his criticisms of his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, for not having agreed to meet him with him and have sent Turkey a negotiating team without ministers or figures of the first -level political level.
“Out of respect for the President (from the USA, Donald) Trump; at the high level of the Turkish delegation and the President (from Turkey, Recep Tayyip) Erdogan, and because we want to try to get at least the first step towards the de -escalable (…), I have decided to send our delegation to Istanbul,” Zelenski said in a press conference held in Ankara after his meeting with his meeting with his gathering.
After his meeting with Zelenski, Erdogan declared that there is a “historical opportunity” to start direct negotiations between both sides and again offered as host of a meeting between Zelenski and Putin “when they are ready.”
Previously, from Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Serguéi Lavrov described Zelenski as “pathetic” for demanding to meet Putin personally and affirmed again that the Ukrainian President is controlled, among others, by the British. “(…) They go as Zelenski guidance dogs carrying it for the jungle of international politics,” he said.
For her part, the Russian exterior spokeswoman, María Zajárova, called Zelenski “clown” and “unfortunate” and “person of doubtful studies”, when comparing him with the members of a Russian delegation whose level had previously questioned the Ukrainian President. “Who believes it is?” Asked the spokeswoman for Putin.
Zelenski has declared that the absence of Putin or other figures of more political rank in these negotiations proposed last Sunday by the Kremlin are “a disrespect” both towards Erdogan, who acts as a host, and the president of the USA, Donald Trump.
“Without time for the meeting. Without agenda. Without a high -level delegation. It is a personal disrespect,” said the Ukrainian president.
Trump came to go and announced that he would send Istanbul to the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, and his two emissaries for war, Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg.
Zelenski said that the meeting of the Ukrainian and Russian delegations could be held on Thursday night or Friday and will be attended by the representatives of Turkey and the US, but official sources later confirmed later to Ukrainian and Russian state media that the meeting would take place on Friday.
