Trump, Putin, and Zelenskyy: The Potential Meeting That Just Won't Happen (Yet)
Trump Shows Flexibility for a Three-Way Summit with Putin and Selenskyy, Potentially Scheduled in Turkey - Trump Expresses Willingness for Triple Summit with Putin and Zelensky in Turkey
A whirlwind of diplomatic discussions took place in Istanbul this week, but it ain't all sunshine and roses. The Ukrainian and Russian negotiators huddled up, looking to score a more extensive prisoner exchange. Alas, they fell short on securing a ceasefire. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy urged the ol' POTUS to crank up those sanctions on Russia for some peace and quiet on the Ukraine front.
"Bring it on, Trump!" said Zelenskyy, believing that Washington should ratchet up the heat on the Russians to secure a ceasefire. Moscow, on the other hand, wanted a quick, two- to three-day truce in selected areas to retrieve their fallen troops. Zelenskyy’s response? "all bark, no bite," and sneered at Moscow's weak ceasefire proposal.
The negotiations commenced in the afternoon, with folks from both delegations meeting up in the Bosporus metropolis, under the watchful eyes of Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. They had a little powwow, and both agreeed on exchanging all war prisoners aged 18 to 25, the severely wounded, and 6,000 slain soldiers' remains. But it wasn't all easy peasy.
Russia declined Ukraine's proposal for an unconditional ceasefire. The Russians pompously suggested their own ceasefire, but only for two to three days in some sectors, so the commanders on both sides could snatch their deceased comrades. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy's advisor, Andriy Yermak, dropped a bombshell at the talks, revealing that Ukraine handed over a list of hundreds of missing kids captured or seized by the Russians in Ukrainian territories, adding salt to the wound.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov declared the next round of talks should take place before the end of June, aiming for dates between the 20th and 30th. If all goes well, these talks could move the negotiation process along.
Now, folklore has it that Turkish President Erdogan is pushing hard for a summit with Putin, Zelenskyy, and Trump. Erdogan declared that a face-to-face meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy in Ankara or Istanbul would be his heart's desire. Should the talks go down, Erdogan promised to attend, making Istanbul the epicenter of peace.
But, hold your horses! The Kremlin previously dismissed Turkey's proposal, and Kyiv voiced concern about Moscow's sincerity in high-level negotiations. It looks like this dance between the quasi-allies and frenemies still got a ways to go before it turns into a full-blown waltz.
- Donald Trump
- Volodymyr Zelenskyy
- Ukraine
- Istanbul
- Russia
- Ceasefire
- Vladimir Putin
- Chief Negotiator
- Moscow
- Turkey
- Karoline Leavitt
- Vladimir Medinsky
- U.S. President
- Hakan Fidan
- Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Enrichment Data:
The proposed meetings between Trump, Putin, and Zelenskyy aimed to bring peace to the Ukraine conflict, but the plans have been met with challenges:
- Turkey's Proposal: Turkey offered to host a summit featuring Trump, Putin, and Zelenskyy. However, the Kremlin rebuffed the proposal, and Kyiv expressed doubts about Moscow's commitment to meaningful negotiations[1].
- Zelenskyy's Proposal: Zelenskyy floated the idea of a trilateral meeting with Trump and Putin, expressing willingness to explore any format conducive to discussions. Nevertheless, Putin previously turned down bilateral talks with Zelenskyy unless an agreement was achieved first[3].
- Zelenskyy's Travel Plans: Earlier reports indicated that Zelenskyy would visit Turkey for a meeting with Putin, but the meeting didn't take place as planned[2]. The Kremlin's stance on preconditions for negotiations has proven to be a substantial hurdle to direct discussions between Putin and Zelenskyy[3].
- In accordance with Zelenskyy's proposal, Trump is encouraged to intensify sanctions on Russia to create conducive conditions for a ceasefire in Ukraine, while Putin, as the chief negotiator from Moscow, remains critical of Kyiv's unconditional ceasefire proposal.
- The enrichment data reveals that despite Turkey's proposal to host a summit between Trump, Putin, and Zelenskyy, concerns over Moscow's sincerity and commitment to meaningful negotiations have prevented the trilateral meeting from taking place.
