UPD: US President Donald Trump's special envoys Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg will head to Istanbul on Thursday for possible talks on ending the war in Ukraine, three sources told Reuters. Donald Trump announced during a speech at an investment forum in Saudi Arabia that Secretary of State Marco Rubio will also go to Istanbul, SkyNews reports. Trump hopes that the talks will «yield good results».
Advisor to the head of the President's Office, Mykhailo Podolyak, stated on the air of The Breakfast Show that Volodymyr Zelensky will meet in Istanbul only with Vladimir Putin, as all other Russian representatives with formal status are not authorized to make decisions on «fundamental issues».
«We understand the structure of power in Russia. And it is clear that even people with the formal status of ministers are unlikely to be authorized to make certain decisions. Only Putin can make decisions about continuing or stopping the war», — Podolyak said. According to him, the structure of the negotiation process in Istanbul is obvious: there is a person who makes decisions on the Ukrainian side and there is a person who makes decisions on the Russian side. Everything else — is «formal presence without result».
Podolyak also explained how Zelensky could hold a direct meeting with Putin, given the ban on direct negotiations. «I think that changes will be made to this decision of the National Security and Defense Council. And if we are going to sign some legally verified document — I think that legal corrections will be made...»
Meanwhile, the US once again threatens to withdraw from the negotiation process if tangible results do not appear in the near future. US President's special envoy Steve Witkoff stated in an interview with Breitbart that Donald Trump «in an ultimatum form» insists on direct negotiations between the parties and threatens to withdraw from the settlement process if the parties do not hold them in the coming days.
Witkoff stated that among the key issues in the negotiations remain the discussion of Ukrainian territories, the situation around the ZNPP, and ensuring Kyiv's access to waterways.
«I think the main issues here — are the regions, the nuclear power plant, how Ukrainians can use the Dnipro River and access the ocean. There are things that, I believe, will not be difficult to resolve if we bring the parties to the negotiating table, they talk to each other, we narrow the range of issues between them, and then come to compromises and creative solutions to solve each of their problems», — Witkoff said.
On the night of May 11, Vladimir Putin during a press conference refused to support Ukraine's proposal, the US, and the «coalition of the resolute» countries for a ceasefire planned for May 12. Instead, he called for the resumption of peace talks in Istanbul from the point where they were interrupted in 2022.
French President Emmanuel Macron stated that Putin is only trying to buy time, while Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský noted that the Russian leader simply «wants to keep shooting». Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed Ukraine's readiness for dialogue, but emphasized that negotiations are possible only if Russia agrees to a ceasefire starting from May 12. However, he later announced that he would go to Istanbul in any case. Meanwhile, Donald Trump, who is currently on a trip to the Middle East, also suggested that he could participate in the dialogue between the two leaders. Vladimir Putin did not respond to Zelensky's proposal, but Russian senators officially stated that Putin would not go to Istanbul, explaining this with the usual narratives about the complex organization of such negotiations and the blood on the hands of the «Kyiv regime».
Photo: AP