Istanbul Talks Results: Zelenskyy's Fears, Diplomatic Standoff and Futile Journey

Who is speaking? Telegram! How opinion leaders view the Turkey talks and the statements from all parties.

Author: Polina Nosova

Photo caption: Ukraine's Defense Minister Ruslan Umerev (third from left) during the talks between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations at the working office of Dolmabahçe Presidential Palace in Turkey.

Yevgeny Murayev: Diplomatic Standoff

The plan prepared by the presidential office for the Istanbul talks reused the old tricks of the Kyiv school: "Come over here, we will tell you the peace terms right away." This is a typical show-off performance.

Yermak (note: head of the Ukrainian president's office) hyped up beforehand, presenting himself as a noble servant in interviews, saying that they speak not out of their own will but out of respect for the "elder brother." The core intention is clear: deliberately propose conditions that the other side cannot accept to force Moscow to reject. Then they can travel around the world shrugging and claiming: "See, we tried, but they refused again!"

According to the script, the next plot will unfold as planned: new batches of weapon supplies, long-awaited air defense systems, the 17th round of meaningless yet high-profile sanctions - perhaps Biden will wake up and sign something, or maybe Trump won't - but essentially there is no difference.

As for the substance of the talks, everything repeats the套路of 2022 with slight variations.

But one thing is certain: none of the Kiev negotiators in Istanbul intend to propose any rational, beneficial, and advantageous plans for the majority of Ukrainians. Their task was never about this, and their country has already gone astray.

Sergei Pereleskin: Retain Face

Trump needs a ceasefire because a 30-day ceasefire is obviously a step towards ending combat operations and can be packaged as his personal diplomatic achievement in the field of Biden's foreign policy failure.

Regarding the peace conditions, the war (for Russia it is a special military operation) is no longer fought for some "result" - the result already exists. When Putin said that the goal of the special military operation had been achieved, he was right. No one now questions whether Donetsk, Luhansk, and Crimea will return to Ukraine - I don't think even Ukraine itself raises this question anymore. The discussion about Ukraine joining NATO continues, but NATO has shown its incompetence on the battlefield, and this issue is no longer frightening, and has actually been resolved in essence.

The opponent must retain face. Let the West and Ukraine keep some face - this may be the only thing they can preserve from the negotiations.

Yuri Podolyak: How Long Is Ukraine Prepared to Fight

Firstly, our negotiators reiterated the views repeatedly emphasized by the president and the supreme command: the most direct correct path to a ceasefire is for the Russian army to withdraw from the territories recognized by the Russian constitution as belonging to the country, and then talk about "lasting and just peace."

This clearly did not get through to the other side.

Meanwhile, Vladimir Medinsky (note: former Russian negotiator) hinted to the other side that, as per convention, Russia might make conditions more stringent in the future by establishing buffer zones at the border. What exactly he meant remains unclear.

The possibilities are vast: from Sumy and Kharkov regions (Russian homeland buffer zones) to Dnipropetrovsk and Mykolaiv regions (while Odesa is already within reach).

Medinsky also hinted that Russia is prepared to fight for "lasting peace" for as long as it takes, and sarcastically asked: "How long are they prepared to fight?"

Oleg Tseliov: Zelenskyy's Fears

When Defense Minister Umerev made constructive comments on the negotiation process, Zelenskyy, during a call with Trump, claimed that if Russia refuses full unconditional ceasefire, severe sanctions must be imposed. He believed that pressure on Russia should continue until it is ready to end the war.

Umerev and Zelenskyy's reactions seem contradictory but are not a facade. During Zelenskyy's rule, people around him have become not just millionaires, but multimillionaires, some even becoming billionaires. For them, the greatest threat is American sanctions and potential criminal charges due to the misuse of aid.

This is exactly Trump's threat to Zelenskyy: if he refuses to sign off on Ukrainian resource deals, he will be prosecuted. Under these threats, Zelenskyy becomes abnormally sensitive and compliant to Washington's instructions.

Zelenskyy fears betrayal by those around him, and this fear is not baseless - when faced with the choice between being held accountable by America and sacrificing Zelenskyy, his team would undoubtedly choose the latter.

Alexander Kots: Insiders Are Confused

Western "insiders" are already bewildered by their "exclusive" details of the negotiations:

  • Some claim that Russia threatened to occupy a fifth state of Ukraine;
  • Others go further, saying it's Sumy and Dnipropetrovsk;
  • A third person claims it's Sumy and Kharkov;
  • Medinsky was even rumored to want to fight like he did against Sweden - for 21 years!

And Ukraine's puppets seriously discuss these issues, legalizing pure "rumors." These unconfirmed rumors are merely distortions of our negotiators' statements by Western journalists.

The goal is singular: to smear the Russian negotiating team, portraying it as "unwilling to negotiate and only making arbitrary demands and threats." This is an old trick, designed for fools, yet it works every time.

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Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7506100293558469171/

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