Putin's Peace Talks: A No-Show and a Mess

The stage was set for a major peace talk between Russia and Ukraine. The idea came from Russian President Vladimir Putin. He called for talks without any conditions. This was after Ukraine's friends, like Germany, France, and the UK, gave Moscow an ultimatum. They said Moscow had to accept a ceasefire or face more sanctions. The plan was to meet in Turkey. But things got messy fast. The talks were supposed to happen in Istanbul. But then, Russia said they would send a lower-level team instead of Putin or their foreign minister. This team was led by Vladimir Medinsky and Mikhail Galuzin. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was ready to go to Ankara. He planned to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyib Erdogan. But he was not sure if he would join the talks in Istanbul. He was waiting to see who would come from Russia. The U. S. was also involved. They had been talking to Russia about peace. But they were not happy with Moscow's demands. The U. S. had been paying for Ukraine's defense. But a new mineral deal between the two countries might help pay back some of that aid. The U. S. had been pushing for a 30-day ceasefire. Zelenskyy had agreed to this. But the talks in Istanbul were not looking good. The Russian team said they were ready for serious work. But Ukraine and Europe were not convinced that Putin was taking the talks seriously. There was also confusion about when the talks would start. Kyiv and Moscow could not agree on the time. This made the situation even more chaotic. Journalists and crew were waiting outside the Dolmabahçe Palace in Istanbul. They had no clear idea of when the talks would begin. The whole situation was a mess. It showed how hard it is to find peace in a conflict like this. Both sides had to make big decisions. And the U. S. was trying to help, but it was not easy. The talks in Istanbul might not have been the breakthrough everyone hoped for. But they showed that finding peace takes a lot of work and compromise.