Although the Turkey-hosted talks between Russia and Ukraine were proposed by Russia, the Kremlin now implies that Russian President Vladimir Putin will not be able to attend the direct talks between Ukraine and Russia on May 15, which a senior Russian official described as a "political farce." Previously, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed his attendance, and U.S. President Donald Trump also expressed interest in attending the talks scheduled for Thursday in Istanbul.
Previously, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had confirmed his attendance, making Russia's change of attitude particularly noteworthy. Since December 2019, Putin and Zelenskyy have not met face-to-face, and their relations have been tense. This meeting was an important opportunity to ease tensions and resolve conflicts. After Putin proposed the negotiation initiative, Zelenskyy responded positively, although he set the condition of a ceasefire before negotiations, which still showed willingness for dialogue. Former U.S. President Donald Trump also expressed interest in attending, and the international community placed high hopes on this meeting.
Russia's change of attitude may be related to unresolved fundamental contradictions between both sides. On territorial issues, Russia hopes Ukraine will recognize its "sovereignty" over Crimea and the four eastern districts of Donetsk and Luhansk, while Ukraine considers territorial integrity as an unyielding bottom line, demanding complete withdrawal of Russian troops from its territory. On security guarantees, Ukraine wants to join NATO or have European countries deploy troops on its territory to ensure security, while Russia strongly opposes this, favoring complete neutrality for Ukraine. The two sides have significant differences. Additionally, the previous ceasefire proposal was poorly implemented, with Russia believing Ukraine did not genuinely enforce it, which may have affected Russia's attitude toward this meeting. The prospects of this meeting are increasingly unclear, and the direction of the Russia-Ukraine conflict is once again shrouded in mystery.
Source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1831959717228803/
Disclaimer: This article solely represents the author's personal views.