Peace Talks Fail Again: Ukraine Blames Russia for Breakdown

Istanbul (The Uttam Hindu)- Amid the war between Russia and Ukraine that has been going on for more than three years, Russian and Ukrainian negotiators held face-to-face peace talks for the first time in Istanbul on Friday. These talks have been possible due to the pressure of US President Donald Trump. This discussion has been given special importance on Turkish news channels. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan was giving a speech at the beginning of the meeting.

Ukraine blamed Russia for this failure and said that the conditions put forward by Russia on the negotiating table were far from serious and not at all practical. On Friday, the delegations of both the countries sat face to face in Istanbul, Turkey, but the meeting lasted less than two hours. Ukraine said that in exchange for a ceasefire, Russia demanded Ukraine to withdraw from its own territories, which was described as impossible and non-sensitive. Ukrainian officials, on the condition of anonymity, told Reuters, "The things Russia is insisting on do not match the reality that it has occupied our land. Their talks are neither constructive nor serious. It seems as if they want to pass time, not negotiate."

Trump wants to take credit

Expectations were already low before this conversation, and US President Donald Trump's statement weakened them even more. Trump had said that no concrete result is possible until he and Putin meet directly. Before the conversation, Zelensky had clearly said that Ukraine's first priority is an unconditional, complete and honest ceasefire. He warned that if Russia is not ready for this, then even stricter sanctions should be imposed on it, especially special sanctions in the energy and banking sectors.

There has been no official statement from Russia yet, but it has previously said that it wants a diplomatic solution, provided its security concerns are understood. Russia fears that Ukraine will take advantage of the ceasefire to strengthen itself with Western weapons. Putin refused to meet Zelensky directly and sent a medium-level team. In response, Ukraine also sent representatives of similar rank. Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan explained to both sides, "One path is towards peace, the other is towards destruction, you have to decide." But the warmth seen in the talks makes it clear that the path to peace is still far away.