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DW
17-05-2025
- Politics
- DW
Ukraine criticizes Russia's 'sham' delegation to Istanbul – DW – 05/17/2025
Ukraine and Russia failed to reach a ceasefire deal in Istanbul during talks this week. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says real progress won't happen until he sits down with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin. Ukrainian and Russian delegations met officially for the first time in three years in Istanbul on Friday. They failed to reach a ceasefire deal but did agree to exchange prisoners of war. The talks were initiated by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who sent the deputy heads of several ministries, as well as his adviser Vladimir Medinsky. One day ahead of the talks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticized Putin for sending representatives who aren't empowered to make decisions and described the delegation as a "sham." Zelenskyy had met with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on Thursday and agreed to a personal meeting with the Russian president. This would have offered the opportunity to "resolve all the important issues," Zelenskyy said at the European Political Community summit in Albania, to which he had traveled from Turkey. "But he [Putin] didn't agree to anything." Erdogan and Zelenskyy met in Ankara on Thursday ahead of the Russia-Ukraine talks Image: DHA A prisoner swap Zelenskyy said he sent the Ukrainian delegation to Istanbul primarily out of respect for US President Donald Trump and Erdogan. He added that he did not expect any significant results. After the negotiations, the head of the Ukrainian delegation, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, said the government's top priority was people and announced that each country had agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners. Both sides have shared their views on the modalities of a ceasefire, with the details still to be worked out, Umerov said. Though Ukraine is in a position to continue the fight, the war must be brought to an end, he said. "Our president was expecting high level discussions. …The next step would be that the leaders-level meeting should be organized." Appeasing the US Russian negotiators made statements that were unacceptable for Ukraine, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said, without providing examples. The co-chair of the opposition European Solidarity group in the Ukrainian parliament, Iryna Herashchenko, wrote on Facebook that Russia had demanded that Ukraine withdraw its troops from its own territory as a "gesture of goodwill" so that a ceasefire could be announced. "This is an ultimatum and a call for capitulation that directly contradict the principles of international law," she wrote. "The behavior of the Russian delegation in Istanbul is evidence of blackmail instead of negotiations, and instead of compromises there is a list of ultimatums, including the demand to cede Ukrainian territory to Russia." Ivan Us, a foreign policy expert from the Ukrainian National Institute for Strategic Studies, accused the Russian delegation of propaganda, but added that officials hadn't said anything unexpected. "There were negotiations because the US wanted to see them," he told DW. Ukraine agreed to take part because its European partners had asked for it, and because they are not prepared to support Ukraine without US assistance. Moscow, on the other hand, came to Istanbul primarily to spread its usual narrative. "While Russia wants to continue fighting, it is aware that it will not succeed as long as the US provides Ukraine with assistance," he said. Russian presidential adviser Vladimir Medinsky and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Istanbul Image: ZUMA Press/IMAGO What comes next? Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said the Ukrainian and Russian representatives agreed in principle to meet again in Istanbul. But military expert and former Ukrainian security service member Ivan Stupak told DW: "The Russians are currently not ready for talks because they have the advantage on the front." As long as there is no stalemate on the line of contact, no one will sit down at the negotiating table, Stupak said. This will probably not happen until October at the earliest — following Putin's planned summer offensive, he predicted. "There must be no appeasement in the form of lifting sanctions, recognition of Crimea as Russian territory or a promise to jointly develop the Arctic," Stupak said, adding that this approach hasn't worked anyway. "That's why the fighting will continue." Foreign policy expert Ivan Us also believes that a rapprochement is more likely in the fall. Studies of official Russian economic indicators suggest that there could be a sharp slump around October, Us said. Only then would Putin be prepared to discuss a ceasefire, make concessions and end the war, he added. This article was originally written in German. No breakthrough in direct talks between Russia, Ukraine To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
Russia Today
02-05-2025
- Business
- Russia Today
US-Ukraine minerals deal ‘hides secret agreements'
The US-Ukraine minerals agreement announced this week 'hides' details of Kiev's 'indefinite obligations' to Washington, a Ukrainian lawmaker has claimed. In a Facebook post on Friday, Irina Gerashchenko, a member of European Solidarity party said the deal includes two 'secret,' supplementary documents that will not be subject to parliamentary ratification. The minerals deal reportedly grants the US preferential access to Ukrainian mining projects in exchange for assistance with an investment fund to support the country's reconstruction. Initially portrayed by Washington as repayment forbears of military support – estimated at $350 billion by President Donald Trump – the final text, published on Thursday by the Ukrainian government, states that only future aid will count toward US contributions to the fund. Gerashchenko claimed however that instead of one agreement, the US and Ukraine signed three. 'The Zelensky government has not provided deputies and society with all the agreements signed in the US, which, as it turned out, are three, not one,' she wrote. 'Meanwhile, they want to ratify only one framework document in the Verkhovna Rada. Others are labeled 'implementation documents,' despite the fact that it is in these two secret agreements that all the technical details of indefinite Ukrainian obligations are hidden.' Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmigal 'avoided' commenting on the two documents and the lack of security guarantees in the published agreement – reportedly a key point of contention during negotiations – Gerashchenko told the country's parliament on Friday. The claim has raised questions among Ukrainian lawmakers and the public on the actual scope of the agreement. MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak claimed on Telegram that, when pressed, Shmigal acknowledged the two additional documents but downplayed them as 'technical' and exempt from ratification. The texts 'must be signed after the ratification' of the main agreement, Shmigal claimed, noting that lawmakers would see them when the Ukrainian negotiating team returns from the US next week. Western media reports have also noted the existence of additional documents and claimed that a last-minute dispute arose when Washington demanded Kiev sign all three. Ukrainian officials reportedly argued they could not sign the annexes until the main agreement was ratified in Parliament. Later reports suggested all three documents were ultimately signed. Further details about the contents of the supplementary documents have not been publicly released, and the Ukrainian government has not issued an official statement addressing their existence or content.
Russia Today
18-04-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Zelensky delays elections by extending martial law
Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky has delayed elections again by prolonging martial law and general mobilization in the country for another three months. The measures were previously set to expire on May 9, but will now be extended to August 6. Zelensky initially invoked martial law following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022. Since then, he has extended the measure more than a dozen times and has cited it as the reason for not holding elections in the country. Officially, Zelensky's presidential term expired nearly one year ago, and Moscow has since repeatedly rejected his legitimacy as Ukraine's leader. Russian officials have insisted that in accordance with Ukraine's Constitution, parliament remains the only legal authority in the country until new elections are held. Zelensky's latest proposal to extend martial law was introduced earlier this week in a draft bill submitted to the Ukrainian parliament. Lawmakers overwhelmingly supported the extension in a vote on Wednesday, with only one parliamentarian – a deputy from the European Solidarity party, Aleksey Goncharenko – opposing the bill. The leader of the European Solidarity party and former president of Ukraine, Pyotr Poroshenko, has slammed Zelensky's bill, arguing that he is effectively usurping power by making it impossible to hold elections. According to Ukrainian law, elections cannot be held while martial law is in effect. If the measure is lifted, parliamentary elections could be held within 60 days after the end of the restrictions, and presidential elections within 90 days. Responding to the Ukrainian parliament's vote to extend martial law, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov suggested on Wednesday that the 'Kiev regime is trying to maintain its flimsy structure' and is clinging to power. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has also accused European NATO members of making every effort to ensure that Zelensky retains power. If he fails to do so, Kiev's backers would likely seek to maintain 'the same Nazi and overtly Russophobic regime' in Ukraine by installing a new 'half-Fuhrer' in Zelensky's stead, Lavrov said. The issue was recently brought up in the US when President Donald Trump called Zelensky a 'dictator without elections' and suggested that he would likely not win another term if elections were held.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Kiev Mayor Klitschko's deputy charged with aiding conscripts to flee
One of Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko's deputies has been charged with assisting conscripts to flee abroad to evade military service, Ukrainian prosecutors reported on Thursday. The official is said to have arranged exit permits for 31 men as drivers of fuel transports between May and June 2022. Some of the men failed to return after travelling to EU countries. The prosecutors did not say whether the deputy mayor received payment for his services. He faces up to seven years in prison if convicted. Since the Russian invasion in February 2022, Ukrainian men aged between 18 and 60 have been barred from travelling abroad, unless in possession of a permit from their district recruiting office. Klitschko dismissed the deputy mayor in December last year after investigative journalists raised allegations that city properties had been acquired by the deputy's friends. The official holds a seat on the city council as a member of the European Solidarity opposition party of former president Petro Poroshenko. Observers see a series of allegations against Klitschko's circle as an attempt by the national leadership to undermine the Kiev mayor's reputation. Klitschko is seen as a possible challenger to President Volodymyr Zelensky in elections once martial law is lifted.
Arab News
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Ukraine's parliament extends martial law until August
KYIV: Ukraine's parliament has extended martial law until August, lawmakers said, delaying the timing of new elections that the United States and Russia have been pushing for. As the war with Russia rages on, an overwhelming majority of 357 deputies on Wednesday supported the extension. It allows the country to continue mobilizing troops and suspends the election cycle. President Volodymyr Zelensky has faced pressure to hold elections from US President Donald Trump, who called him a dictator — criticism that prompted Ukrainians to rally around Zelensky and boosted his approval ratings. Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly questioned Zelensky's legitimacy after his term ended in 2024. But in line with the Ukrainian legislation, elections are impossible during martial law. As peace talks led by the Trump administration created hopes for a potential ceasefire and eventual elections, some Ukrainian opposition politicians started criticizing Zelensky more openly. Petro Poroshenko, a former president and leader of the largest opposition party, 'European Solidarity,' said there was no doubt martial law should be extended, especially after deadly Russian strikes on Sumy and Kryvyi Rih this month. But he accused Zelensky of attempting to strengthen his powers during martial law. 'I want to stress that we should recognize the obvious — the government has started to abuse martial law, using it not only to defend the country, but to build an authoritarian regime,' Poroshenko said during parliamentary debates on Tuesday. However Poroshenko's party overwhelmingly supported the extension of martial law, with only one lawmaker from the party voting against it.
