Ukraine and Russia end their latest round of direct peace talks in Istanbul

AP ^ | June 2, 2025 | MEHMET GUZEL

[McGruff]

Delegations from Russia and Ukraine ended their latest peace talks Monday in Turkey after just over an hour, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian state media said.

Speaking in Vilnius, Lithuania, Zelenskyy said both sides “exchanged documents through the Turkish side, and we are preparing a new release of prisoners of the war.”

Expectations were low for any breakthrough on ending the 3-year-old war after a string of stunning attacks over the weekend.

Recent comments by senior officials in both countries indicate they remain far apart on the key conditions for stopping the war.

[Rocco DiPippo]

I have a feeling that Kiev’s about to be pulverized. . .

[Pearls Before Swine]

That was quick.

[rdcbn1]

I think that it's safe to say that the peace process is pretty much reached it's end.

It was worth a try but nobody wants the war to end and they see frustrating Trumps peace initiatives as a way take the Trump Administration down.

Time for Trump to fold his tent and cut his losses. War end when at least one side has decided they are done. Looks like both sides need a little more ass kicking find out what is real and what is not.

Back in the WWII days we had the period of the Phony War before the real storm hit.

Now the Ukraine war is seeing the period of the War of the Phonies where a crew of swaggering, usurious and feckless leaders posture and pound their chests and spout ridiculous taunts and propaganda with little grounding in reality from the safety of air conditioned parliamentary chambers.

To the Zelenskyies, the Grahams, the Macrons , the Merzs and the Starmers of the world the war is all about "the messaging" while the real suffering and dying is being done by unfortunate cannon fodder of both sides in the trenches.

More than 50,000 of the soldiers caught up in this insane debacle have dies just since the start of the "peace process" and that number clicks up by 5000+ a week as long as this drags on.

There is no popular support for the war in Ukraine. Zekensky's term in office is long expired and he has canceled elections and is keeping his grip on power via a draconian Martial Law dictatorship.

Macron of France is historic in the sense that he has gotten 82% of the French, who can never agree on anything, to agree that he is a disaster and needs to go. This is the highest disapproval rating ever for a French Politician. Adolf Hitler literally had higher approval ratings in France than Macron does currently which is kind of amazing

UK's Starmer is one of the most unpopular Brit Prime Ministers in history and he is on the way out and his political party is in danger of falling apart

Germany's Merz was just "elected" Chancellor but his entire political party is so unpopular that they had to decertify the primary opposition candidate and bad his political party to "win" the election. The German public is reaching a breaking point with their political leadership

The public face of the Ukrainian support in the US is Sen Lindsey Graham and Sen Richard Blumenthal -'nuff said on that topic.

Putin seems to have a pretty firm grip on power and even some popular support but the Russians would like to see this thing end as well.

We in the US have done all we can but it really makes no sense to underwrite the death and destruction when both sides of the conflict want to fight ti out to the bitter end.