Last encounter between Putin and Zelenskyy in person: a brief recap
Scoop: Putin's Snub to Zelenskyy and Its Implications
The Latest on the Russia-Ukraine Standoff:
It's a bust! The much-anticipated face-to-face meeting between Russia's Vladimir Putin and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Turkey for peace talks just crumbled.
Who's Playing Hardball and Who's Missing the Action?
In a drastic about-face, Putin chose not to attend the conference despite proposing the meeting in Istanbul, as revealed in a document he signed on Wednesday evening detailing the Russian delegation (Putin's name was conspicuously absent).
Zelenskyy, however, kept his word and jetted off to the Turkish capital, Ankara, believing that a productive discussion could transpire only if both leaders were present. If they had, this would've marked their second sit-down since the conflict in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region erupted in 2014, with the first occurring in 2019.
Revisiting the 2019 Fiasco
To try to end hostilities in the Donbas region, Zelenskyy and Putin previously convened in Paris for the Normandy Format Summit. For those who missed it, the "Normandy Format" is an informal forum created by French, German, Russian, and Ukrainian diplomats after fighting commenced in the Donbas.
Zelenskyy, a political novice who surprised the world by winning the presidency in May 2019, hoped to use diplomacy to resolve the conflict. In contrast, his predecessor, Petro Poroshenko—a long-time Putin acquaintance—had failed to bring about peace despite several past meetings with the Russian leader.
In the Paris summit, alongside French President Emmanuel Macron and former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Putin and Zelenskyy had candid discussions about how to end the conflict that had escalated into thousands of casualties.
The Results
The tendentious discussions led to several agreements, including:
- Ceasefire Support Measures: Both sides agreed to implement necessary ceasefire support measures by the end of 2019 and to release all prisoners of war.
- Troop Disengagement: Parties consented to disengage forces in three additional locations in the Donbas region by March 2020.
- Minsk Agreements Implementation: Parties reaffirmed their commitment to implement the political provisions of the Minsk agreements, initially signed in 2014 and 2015.
- Elections and Reintegration: Plans for elections in the occupied Donbas territories and reintegration of these areas into Ukraine were outlined.
A Short-Lived Promise
Though the Paris meeting was regarded as a promising step towards a resolution, disagreements over key issues, such as troop withdrawal and elections in separatist-controlled territories, quickly surfaced. Consequently, the 2019 meeting was just a starting point and failed to achieve a lasting peace.
The discussions continued in Paris in January 2022, but only at the diplomatic level, with representatives from Russia, Ukraine, Germany, and France participating, not the leaders themselves. Follow-up consultations took place in Berlin in February 2022, but ultimately, Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in late February 2022 altered the political landscape dramatically.
In a heartfelt speech to the French parliament in March 2022, Zelenskyy lamented that the invasion had "ruined" the progress made during the Normandy Format summits.
Why Putin's Dissuasion Implicates Trump
The collapse of the turkey talksbetween Putin and Zelenskyy comes as a letdown for US President Donald Trump, as reported by Sky News US correspondent Mark Stone. Despite Trump's overt encouragement for Zelenskyy to accept the invitation to the Istanbul talks, Putin's no-show is a clear affront to the US leader.
Trump has been actively involved in endeavors aimed at achieving peace between Russia and Ukraine. Putin's absence demonstrates a disregard for American interests and Trump's efforts, intensifying speculation about Trump's influence in the region.
It remains to be seen how Trump will react on his social media platforms, a venue he has frequently used to voice his thoughts and policies. Keep a close eye on those feeds for any response.
Sources:[1] Sky News. (2019, December 9). What happened when Putin and Zelenskyy first met in Paris. Retrieved July 21, 2023, from https://news.sky.com/story/2019/12/09/what-happened-when-putin-and-zelenskyy-first-met-in-paris-12078364
[2] BBC News. (2019, December 10). Ukraine-Russia: Peace accord signed, but questions remain unanswered. Retrieved July 21, 2023, from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-50744791
- In the midst of war-and-conflicts, politics and general news are keenly focused on the implications of Putin's snub to Zelenskyy, which has derailed a potential peace talk in Istanbul.
- The ongoing Russia-Ukraine standoff has been marked by sanctions, war, and periods of ceasefire, with the latest development being Putin's sudden cancellation of the planned meeting in Turkey.
- Despite the Paris summit agreements of 2019, including a ceasefire, troop disengagement, and Minsk agreements implementation, the conflict in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region persists, underscoring the complex politics and ongoing war-and-conflicts in the region.
