Rush of diplomatic calls follow Trump's offer to join potential Russia-Ukraine talks

U.S. and European diplomats went on a flurry of calls in the hours after U.S. President Donald Trump offered on Monday to join prospective Ukraine-Russia talks later this week, trying to find a path that would bring an end to the war in Ukraine.

Trump's surprise offer to join the talks on Thursday in Istanbul came a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, in a fresh twist to the stop-start peace talks process, said he would travel Turkey and wait to meet President Vladimir Putin there.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held talks late on Monday with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan to discuss Moscow's direct talks with Kyiv - a proposal that came from Putin at the weekend, the Russian foreign ministry said.

There has been no response from the Kremlin to Zelenskiy's offer to meet Putin in Istanbul and Moscow was yet to comment on Trump's offer to join the talks.

If Zelenskiy and Putin, who make no secret of their contempt for each other, were to meet on Thursday it would be their first face-to-face meeting since December 2019.

"Don't underestimate Thursday in Turkey," Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday.

Konstantin Kosachev, chairman of the international affairs committee of the Federation Council, the upper house of Russia's parliament, told the Izvestia media outlet in remarks published on Tuesday that the talks between Moscow and Kyiv can move further than they did in the 2022.

"If the Ukrainian delegation shows up at these talks with a mandate to abandon any ultimatums and look for common ground, I am sure that we could move forward even further than we did," Izvestia cited Kosachev as saying.

Russia announced they will send a negotiating team to Istanbul Turkey.

Almost immediately, Zelenskyy challenges Putin to meet him in Turkey.

It still isn’t clear whether Vladimir Putin will respond to Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s invitation to meet in person in Istanbul on Thursday, despite growing pressure in recent days from European leaders. On Sunday, Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy called out Vladimir Putin to meet him on Thursday in Istanbul, but the Kremlin leader has yet to respond.

Russia rejected the EU Weekend demands for an immediate ceasefire where Ukraine can be rearmed and rested to stop the collaspe all along the Fronts. Russia, after coordination with Trunp and Endron, invited Ukraine to direct negotiations in Istanbul, at which Mr Zelenskyy first rejected. Then Trump demanded Ukraine attend Istanbul for direct negotiations with Russia. It was at this point Zelinski challenged Mr Putin to make the trip himself.

So how does Zelensky talk with putin when he passed a law that specifically prevents talks between he and Putin? Just another way regardless of any negotiation it can always be walked back by the next iteration of Ukrainian facists. If i were putin i’d just keep the push going forget talking. They can capitulate and surrender or not, that’s their choice they have to live with.

Let’s remember that Putin’s proposal to hold direct meetings with Ukraine came hours after Putin’s meeting with Witkoff. Witkoff should have told him something to give signals to Putin that seeking peace now is the best outcome for both parties. I wonder if these signals are contained in the “agreements” that the US and Ukraine signed some years ago, which are not yet public ..... This is all a bit shady, but the bottom line is that Russia wouldn’t agree to anything unless it wanted to. Regardless of the “power play” that NATO may want to pull on him, Putin is in control and he knows it.

In ALL summits between leaders, there are those expert negotiators from both sides who work hard preparing the agenda for the meeting. I do not see any sign of any serious preparation, thus this is NOT a serious meeting. There is no indications that Zelinski is traveling to Turkey as reported by western news media.

Leaders meet to sign an agreement, but not to fight the terms of the treaty.

Bottom Line: EU and Ukraine made demands for a ceasefire. Russia diplomatically cornered Ukraine with direct talks in Istanbu to continue the talks Boris Johnson (MI6 head is stepping down end of May who told Johnson to make Ukraine walk out) disrupted forcing Ukriane to break off negotiations. Trump was on board with Russia to re-start the Istanbul talks. Zelinski and EU began their exit stratety to not go to Turkey by demanding Putin show up where he could be arrested by the West for thier Tribunals; Zelinski cannot by law talk to Putin, so Zelinski is not going to Turkey.

Ukraine’s hand is so weak they cannot even speak.

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