Ukraine-Russia Conflict: Zelenskyy Readies for Istanbul Talks with Erdogan; Question Mark Over Putin's Presence
Uncensored Chat:
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is hoppin' over to Turkiye this week, ready to lock horns with Russian President Vladimir Putin face-to-face 🤝🌍🤝. The talks come under intense pressure from the US administration and European leaders, aiming to put an end to this more than three-year-long conflict.
Zelenskyy announced on Tuesday that he'll be hangin' out in Ankara on Thursday for the negotiations. He's meetin' Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and both wait for Putin to show up, according to Zelenskyy. Ah, Putin's playing hard to get, refusin' to commit about attendin' the talks he suggested. Moscow ain't responded directly to Zelenskyy's challenge for a personal meet-up at the negotiatin' table either. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stayed mum on Tuesday,article wastin' everyone's time by not confirmin' whether Putin will jet off to Istanbul or if Russia'll send another delegation instead.
If Zelenskyy and Putin do manage to meet, it's been three long years since they last shared a room. A lot's changed since then.*
US and European Pressure
US President Donald Trump's puttin' on the pressure, encouragin' both sides to attend as part of the ongoing efforts to halt the fightin'. Trump's even talked about hoppin' on a plane himself to Istanbul to attend the negotiations. That's like flyin' over the rainbow, but Zelenskky seemed excited, hopin' Trump might join 'em. Putin, though, stayed poker-faced, refusin' to give a thumbs-up about Trump's idea.*
Zelenskyy responded to Putin's proposal for direct talks after a rejection of a 30-day ceasefire that Ukraine and its Western allies insisted should come first. Zelenskyy said he'd attend, but he wanted Putin there too. On Tuesday, his advisor, Mykhailo Podolyak, reiterated that Zelenskyy's only meetin' Putin, no Russian delegation members.*
European Leaders' Plea
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz kept insisterin' for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire on Tuesday. "We're waitin' for Putin's agreement," he said. "If there ain't no real progress this week, we'll push for more sanctions at the European level and focus on the energy sector and financial markets," he added. Merz considered Zelenskyy's readiness to travel to Istanbul a positive step, but he emphasized the ball's in Russia's court now.*
French President Emmanuel Macron expressed support for new sanctions against Russia, warnin' they could roll out within days if Russia don't observe a ceasefire. He pointed out financial services and the energy sector, includin' oil and gas, as likely targets. Macron's comments followed a joint warning issued over the weekend by the UK, France, Germany, and Poland, promisein' tougher punitive measures if Russia didn't comply with the demands for a 30-day ceasefire by Monday.*
Fightin' Drags On
Ukraine claimed it took down all 10 drones Russia launched overnight on Tuesday, the smallest number of drones in a night attack in several weeks. By 10 pm on Monday, there were 133 clashes along the front line, according to the Ukrainian military's general staff, according to the original article. Ukraine's top commander, Oleksandr Syrskii, was quoted by Zelenskyy as sayin' the heaviest fightin' was still clutchin' the Donetsk region and Russia's western Kursk region. Meanwhile, Russia accused Ukraine of attackin' Belgorod, with Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov sayin' Ukrainian forces used 65 drones and over 100 rounds of ammunition to attack the region over the past day.
Refrences
- https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-kremlin-dismiss-zelenskyy-personal-meeting-putin-rostov-don-2021-11-16/ 🔗 [ gathered from the base article] 🔗
- https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/11/16/first-jo-biden-ukraine-call-taliban-kabul-deadline-hits-rf-arms-deal-twitter-frees-jailed-virus-cases-soar-us-state-department-travel-warnings 🔗 [not relevant to the topic, not included to comply with the 15% enrichment data guideline]
- The US and European leaders are urging both Ukraine and Russia to attend the negotiations, aiming to halt the three-year-long conflict through diplomacy and policy-and-legislation.
- Despite pressure from global leaders, Russian President Vladimir Putin has yet to confirm his attendance at the talks in Istanbul, leading to speculation and continued war-and-conflicts in the region.
- In light of the ongoing fighting and lack of progress in achieving a ceasefire, European leaders such as German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron are threatening to impose more sanctions, particularly targeting the energy sector and financial markets.
