Istanbul cannot bring a truce, a meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin is needed – Kyslytsia

It is impossible to achieve a ceasefire in the Istanbul format, a meeting between President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and dictator Vladimir Putin is needed. This was stated by a member of the Ukrainian negotiating delegation, First Deputy Foreign Minister Serhiy Kyslytsia, in an interview with Suspilnе.

"By and large, apart from agreements on prisoner exchanges, this format cannot significantly change the current situation. Given the dictatorial nature of the regime in Russia, only one person is authorized – he has authorized himself – to make decisions that can end the war or establish a permanent ceasefire," the diplomat said.

According to Kyslytsia, this is why, during both meetings in Istanbul, Ukraine insisted on the need to prepare a meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin.

However, the official added, the occupiers have a different logic: "First we must fulfill their demands, and only then will the leaders meet." The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has already called these Russian demands a set of old ultimatums.

"Although there are supposedly some showdowns between the different towers of the Kremlin in Russia, it is still a deeply dictatorial regime. And only one person can make significant decisions there. Without a meeting of two leaders – or three, including President Trump – it is unlikely that any groundbreaking decisions can be reached," Kyslytsia concluded.

He also said that he was unaware of the existence of a new date for negotiations between Ukraine and the Russian Federation, as well as of an agreement to repeat the Istanbul format.

• On June 2, during the second round of talks in Istanbul, Ukraine proposed holding a meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin from the 20th to the 30th.
• On June 19, the Russian dictator said that he was allegedly ready to meet with Zelenskyy, but did not want to sign anything with him. The OP called Putin's latest statements "a show for Trump."