Posted on 05/14/2025 11:51:24 AM PDT by marcusmaximus
ISTANBUL—Diplomatic brinkmanship over U.S.-brokered efforts to efforts to end Russia’s war in Ukraine reached dizzying levels on Wednesday, with each side seeking to call the other’s bluff by demonstrating a desire for peace and casting the other as the obstacle to it.
Ukraine’s president said he would be waiting in the Turkish capital, Ankara, on Thursday for Vladimir Putin, but the Russian president is sending a team of negotiators to Istanbul, and the Kremlin won’t say if he will be there.
President Trump hasn’t ruled out the possibility of joining any talks in Turkey, and senior U.S. officials are headed there, though it isn’t clear whom they will meet and when.
-snip-
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he wants to meet the Russian leader to discuss an unconditional, 30-day cease-fire proposed by the U.S. that Kyiv agreed to in March, but Putin hasn’t so far endorsed.
Putin wants essentially a Ukrainian capitulation, even as Russian forces struggle to advance on the battlefield. He has portrayed the talks, which he proposed over the weekend, as a continuation of stalled negotiations from March 2022 in Istanbul. Those resulted in a draft document designed to neuter Ukraine.
According to Turkish and European officials, Putin is sending as the head of his delegation to Istanbul the same adviser who headed the Russian negotiating team back in 2022, former Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky.
At that time, a much bigger part of Ukraine was under Russian occupation and Western heavy weapons hadn’t yet started to flow to Kyiv.
(Excerpt) Read more at msn.com ...
Yup. Still stupid.
It’s called “one-liner trolling”.
It keeps the Ukie propaganda flowing.
I see your point, but it comes across as just plain stupid. And the obsession of a one track mind.
In the immortal words of Lao Yang, “It’s all so tiresome.”
Russian delegation:
1. Vladimir Medinskiy - Putin’s aide, appointed head of the delegation.
2. Mikhail Galuzin - deputy foreign minister of Russia.
3. Igor Kostyukov - chief of the main department of the General Staff of the Russian armed forces.
4. Aleksandr Fomin - deputy defense minister of Russia.
There are also four “experts” who will take part in the negotiations, as well.
He did the same thing with Fox News ratings after the 2020 elections - months of bashing on Fox News and Tucker Carlson.
Of course, everyone agreed with him about Fox News back then, so the trolling was no fun.
It is true that for whatever reasons, Russia’s advance in Ukraine has slowed to a (slow) crawl. Major objectives like Pokrovsk And Chasiv Yar have not been completely taken despite months of confrontation. They threw the Ukrainians out of Kursk, but that’s about the sum of their progress recently.
Reuters reporting Trump is not Attending
Ending military aid to Ukraine will end the war.
President Trump should stay away from this cluster meeting.
1. All areas east and south of the river, including Crimea, will be aligned with Russia
2. Ukraine will never be in NATO
President Trump should stay away from this cluster meeting.
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BBC just reported he’s not going
The more he gets involved the less it will become Bidens war
It is true that for whatever reasons, Russia’s advance in Ukraine has slowed to a (slow) crawl. Major objectives like Pokrovsk And Chasiv Yar have not been completely taken despite months of confrontation. They threw the Ukrainians out of Kursk, but that’s about the sum of their progress recently.
__
Incorrect
The western advance has really picked up steam the past 3 weeks or so
Size and shape of the table?
Yes, I just heard that on the car radio via Fox News. They said he decided that after seeing the list of Russian delegates did not include Putin.
If so, he’s wisely following diplomatic protocol. There are good reasons for these time-honored pritocols. Good.
Sounds like the peace negotiations to end the Vietnam War. They had trouble agreeing on the shape of the table.
Let ‘em fight it out.
Just do it without our Weapons and Money.
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