Latest news with #NormandyFormat
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Putin in favor of meeting Zelensky, Trump if progress is made in peace talks, Kremlin says
Russian President Vladimir Putin is "fundamentally in favor" of meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. President Donald Trump, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on May 30, according to Russian state news agency TASS. The statement comes amid renewed diplomatic maneuvering to schedule the next round of peace talks in Istanbul, tentatively proposed for June 2. Peskov stressed that a high-level summit would require concrete outcomes from the negotiations between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations. "President Putin has repeatedly said that he is fundamentally in favor of high-level contacts, which are undoubtedly needed," Peskov said. "But they must be prepared, and first, a result must be achieved in negotiations between the delegations." On May 30, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on May 30 that Turkey would be open to hosting a possible meeting among the three leaders, with the participation of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as well. Fidan's statement followed his visits to both Kyiv and Moscow. Zelensky previously invited Putin to Istanbul for direct talks on May 16, proposing a three-way format with Trump to push forward peace efforts. Putin declined to attend, sending a low-level delegation led by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky. The Istanbul talks ended without agreement on a ceasefire or broader political settlement, though the sides did agree to the largest prisoner exchange of the full-scale war. Join our community Support independent journalism in Ukraine. Join us in this fight. Support Us Moscow has rejected Kyiv's repeated calls for a complete and unconditional ceasefire, despite mounting international pressure. Russia has instead intensified its aerial assaults across Ukraine and is reportedly preparing for a renewed summer offensive. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov confirmed on May 29 that Moscow plans to present a draft "ceasefire memorandum" at the June 2 meeting in Istanbul. He added that Medinsky's team would be prepared to explain its content to the Ukrainian delegation. Zelensky's Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak said on May 29 that Kyiv is open to the talks but insists that Russia share the memorandum ahead of the meeting. The Kremlin has repeatedly attacked Zelensky's legitimacy as president, pointing out that his first presidential term was originally meant to end on May 20, 2024. Ukraine's constitution prohibits elections during martial law, which has been in effect since Russia's full-scale invasion began in 2022. As a result, Zelensky's term has been extended, which constitutional lawyers argue is permitted under Ukrainian law. Trump, who held a two-hour phone call with Putin on May 19 and is pushing to broker a ceasefire deal, has backed the idea of a high-level summit. Putin and Zelensky have met only once — in December 2019, during the Normandy Format talks in Paris. Read also: Russia 'testing' Europe's capacity to help Ukraine by intensifying air attacks We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Putin-Zelensky meeting possible after 'specific agreements,' Russia says
A meeting between Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin is "fundamentally possible," but must be based upon "specific agreements" between the two sides, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on May 28. "Our position on the fundamental possibility of such a meeting has not changed," Peskov said, according to the Russian pro-state news agency Interfax. "But such a meeting should be the result of specific agreements between the two delegations in various areas," he said when asked about the possibility of a meeting between Putin, Zelensky, and potentially U.S. President Donald Trump. The comments come after Zelensky declared he is ready to meet the Russian leader in a three-way format with Trump to discuss peace efforts in Ukraine. The U.S. president has vowed to broker a peace deal between Kyiv and Moscow and supported the idea of a summit at the highest level. "We are ready to meet at the level of leaders. The American side knows this, and the Russian side knows this. We are ready for the 'Trump, Putin, and me' format, and we are ready for the Trump-Putin, Trump-Zelensky format, and then the three of us," Zelensky said on May 27. Moscow continues to reject calls by Kyiv and Western partners for a ceasefire, and has only intensified strikes against Ukrainian cities while reportedly preparing a new offensive this summer. It is not immediately clear what agreements the Kremlin requires to arrange the meeting. Ukraine's head of state previously invited Putin for face-to-face talks in Istanbul on May 16. Putin refused to attend himself, instead dispatching a delegation of junior aides led by Vladimir Medinsky. The peace talks have not yielded any breakthrough apart from a major prisoner exchange. The Kremlin has also repeatedly attacked Zelensky's legitimacy as president, pointing out that his first presidential term was originally meant to end on May 20, 2024. Ukraine's constitution prohibits elections during martial law, which has been in effect since Russia's full-scale invasion began in 2022. As a result, Zelensky's term has been extended, which constitutional lawyers argue is permitted under Ukrainian law. Zelensky and Putin met only once, during the Normandy Format talks in France in December 2019. Read also: Ban on NATO's eastward expansion, easing sanctions — Reuters lists Putin's Ukraine peace demands We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Sky News
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
What happened the last (and only) time Putin and Zelenskyy met face to face?
Russia's Vladimir Putin will not meet with Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy for peace talks in Turkey. Despite proposing the meeting in Istanbul, the Russian leader signed an order on Wednesday evening detailing who would be in the country's delegation and his name was not on the list. Mr Zelenskyy on Thursday travelled to the Turkish capital, Ankara, having said he would only attend the talks if Mr Putin did too. Ukraine war latest: Follow live updates But at about the same time as Mr Zelenskyy touched down, the Kremlin confirmed Mr Putin would not attend. If both Mr Putin and Mr Zelenskyy had gone to the talks, it would have marked only the second ever time the two leaders have sat down together. The first was in 2019, when the two sides discussed an end to the fighting in Ukraine's eastern region of the Donbas, where Ukrainian troops had been fighting Russian-backed separatists since 2014. Here is what happened last time Mr Putin and Mr Zelenskyy came face to face. What happened during the 2019 meeting? To try and end fighting in the Donbas region, Mr Zelenskyy and Mr Putin travelled to Paris in December 2019 for the Normandy Format Summit - an informal forum that was set up by French, German, Russian and Ukrainian diplomats after the conflict in the Donbas began. It came after Mr Zelenskyy, who had never held political office, became Ukrainian president in May of the same year. In the election, he beat Petro Poroshenko - a billionaire confectionery magnate and former Ukrainian foreign minister - who had met and spoken directly with Mr Putin on numerous occasions, but had failed to solve the conflict with Russia. Alongside French president Emmanuel Macron and then German chancellor Angela Merkel, Mr Putin and Mr Zelenskyy sat opposite each other at a round table to discuss how they would end the conflict that had led to thousands of deaths. The summit did lead to some agreements between the two nations. This included implementing "all necessary ceasefire support measures" before the end of 2019 and to release all prisoners of war. Agreements were also made to disengage troops in three further areas of the Donbas region by the end of March 2020 - both Ukrainian troops and Russian-backed rebels had already pulled out of three frontline locations in the months before the meeting. Both sides also said they wished to implement the political provisions of the Minsk agreements, which were signed back in 2014 and 2015 as a first attempt to secure a ceasefire between the Ukrainian government and Russian-backed separatists. The agreements included a roadmap for elections in the occupied regions of Luhansk and Donetsk and a plan to reintegrate the territory into the rest of Ukraine. What happened after? The 2019 meeting was seen at the time as an important step forward in ending the conflict, and some prisoner exchanges did take place, but it failed to provoke any real long-term change. Russia and Ukraine continued to disagree on issues including the withdrawal of Russian-backed troops and elections in areas of Ukraine held by separatist rebels. The summit then took place again in Paris in January 2022, but was instead attended by representatives of Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France, not the four leaders. In February 2022, senior diplomats met again, this time in Berlin, to try and find a way out of the conflict. Weeks later, on 24 February, Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In an address to the French parliament in March 2022, Mr Zelenskyy said the invasion had "ruined" the efforts of the Normandy Format. Why does Putin's absence matter to Trump? The collapse of Thursday's face to face peace talks between Mr Putin and Mr Zelenskyy will be a "blow" for US President Donald Trump, Sky News US correspondent, Mark Stone, says. Unlike the 2019 discussions, America has been heavily involved in trying to secure peace between the neighbouring countries. 17:21 Mr Trump heavily encouraged Mr Zelenskyy to "immediately" accept the invitation to the talks in Turkey, going as far to say he was "thinking" of attending himself. But Mr Putin's lack of attendance is a clear snub to the US leader, Stone said on the Trump 100 podcast. "It makes Trump look pretty weak, it also clearly demonstrates that Putin has absolutely no interest in a ceasefire now. He has played Trump, as many told him he was. "All eyes will now be on Donald Trump's social media feed to see how he responds." Fellow Sky correspondent James Matthews added that Mr Trump's attitude towards the conflict is in stark contrast to the claim he made on the campaign trail that he could end the war in a day. He said: "Beyond that campaigning bravado, Trump's stewardship over the diplomacy of the Russia-Ukraine conflict has been short of what he would have wanted. "For all the warmth towards Putin, he has been given the cold shoulder in return... Publicly, he is talking about possibly getting on a flight, and it isn't the image of a president in control of events, it is the leader of the free world actually being led by events."
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Putin won't attend peace talks in Turkey, Kremlin says
The Kremlin unveiled its delegation for Ukraine-Russia peace talks in a decree signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin on May 14. Russia has not shared who it would send to negotiations in Turkey up until now. President said on May 14 that Kyiv will determine its next steps in Ukraine-Russia peace talks when Moscow unveils its delegation. Moscow announced that their delegation would be headed by presidential advisor and propaganda architect, Vladimir Medinsky. The Russian delegation will also consist of Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, Director of Russian Military Intelligence Igor Kostyukov, and Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin. The delegation is notably void of the Kremlin's top politicians, including Russian Foreign Minister . Putin has refused calls for a ceasefire and instead insists peace negotiations begin before a ceasefire is implemented. In response, Zelensky has said he will travel to Turkey for the, and has invited Putin to meet him there. So far, Russia has not signalled that Putin will be present at the peace negotiations on May 15. Russia has said the May 15 talks would be a resumption of 2022 peace negotiations held in Turkey at the onset of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine in February 2022. According to the leaked 2022 peace draft proposal, both sides agreed to exclude Crimea from the treaty, leaving it under Russian occupation without Ukraine recognizing Russian sovereignty over it. The status of other Russian-occupied territories was to be decided in later talks between presidents Zelensky and Putin. The treaty would reportedly see Ukraine abandon aspirations to join NATO or any other military alliance, but allow for EU entry. Russia also demanded the lifting of all sanctions, repealing Kyiv's laws related to language and national identity, and limiting Ukraine's Armed Forces. The negotiations were unsuccessful and did not lead to the signing of any agreements. After that, there were no direct talks between Ukraine and Russia. The meeting between Zelensky and Putin, if it occurs, could signal a breakthrough in stalled diplomatic efforts to end Russia's full-scale invasion. The last and only face-to-face meeting between Zelensky and Putin occurred in December 2019 in Paris under the Normandy Format. Since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, there have been no direct meetings between the two. Russian authorities have listed in previous ceasefire negotiations brokered by the U.S. Brazilian President has said he will ask Putin to go to Turkey for peace talks with Zelensky. Read also: 'Russians need to be taught a lesson' – why foreign soldiers keep fighting for Ukraine amid growing uncertainty We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Sky News
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
If Putin and Zelenskyy meet it'll be for only the second time - here's what happened at the last summit
Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russia's Vladimir Putin could meet face to face in Turkey on Thursday. If the proposed meeting in Istanbul goes ahead, it would mark only the second ever time the two leaders have sat down together. The first was in 2019, when the two sides discussed an end to the fighting in Ukraine's eastern region of the Donbas, where Ukrainian troops had been fighting Russian-backed separatists since 2014. It remains unclear what will unfold on Thursday and even if the leaders will show up - though Mr Zelenskyy said earlier this week that he would be "waiting in Turkey" for the Russian president "personally". Here is what happened last time Mr Putin and Mr Zelenskyy came face to face. What happened during the 2019 meeting? To try and end fighting in the Donbas region, Mr Zelenskyy and Mr Putin travelled to Paris in December 2019 for the Normandy Format Summit - an informal forum that was set up by French, German, Russian and Ukrainian diplomats after the conflict in the Donbas began. It came after Mr Zelenskyy, who had never held political office, became Ukrainian president in May of the same year. In the election, he beat Petro Poroshenko - a billionaire confectionery magnate and former Ukrainian foreign minister - who had met and spoken directly with Mr Putin on numerous occasions, but had failed to solve the conflict with Russia. Alongside French president Emmanuel Macron and then German chancellor Angela Merkel, Mr Putin and Mr Zelenskyy sat opposite each other at a round table to discuss how they would end the conflict that had led to thousands of deaths. The summit did lead to some agreements between the two nations. This included implementing "all necessary ceasefire support measures" before the end of 2019 and to release all prisoners of war. Agreements were also made to disengage troops in three further areas of the Donbas region by the end of March 2020 - both Ukrainian troops and Russian-backed rebels had already pulled out of three frontline locations in the months before the meeting. Both sides also said they wished to implement the political provisions of the Minsk agreements, which were signed back in 2014 and 2015 as a first attempt to secure a ceasefire between the Ukrainian government and Russian-backed separatists. The agreements included a roadmap for elections in the occupied regions of Luhansk and Donetsk and a plan to reintegrate the territory into the rest of Ukraine. What happened after? The 2019 meeting was seen at the time as an important step forward in ending the conflict, and some prisoner exchanges did take place, but it failed to provoke any real long-term change. Russia and Ukraine continued to disagree on issues including the withdrawal of Russian-backed troops and elections in areas of Ukraine held by separatist rebels. The summit then took place again in Paris in January 2022, but was instead attended by representatives of Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France, not the four leaders. In February 2022, senior diplomats met again, this time in Berlin, to try and find a way out of the conflict. Weeks later, on 24 February, Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In an address to the French parliament in March 2022, Mr Zelenskyy said the invasion had "ruined" the efforts of the Normandy Format. What could happen if they meet again - and will Trump be there? If a meeting between Russia and Ukraine happens on 15 May, it is uncertain if Mr Putin will attend. The meeting was first proposed by the Russian president, instead of accepting an unconditional 30-day ceasefire, but since the Kremlin has remained tight-lipped over who will travel to Turkey and whether it will include Mr Putin. Ukraine's allies remained deeply sceptical about whether Mr Putin was serious about the talks. Russia has also continued its nightly attacks on Ukraine. Unlike the 2019 discussions, America has been heavily involved in trying to secure peace between the neighbouring countries. 15:58 US President Donald Trump heavily encouraged Mr Zelenskyy to "immediately" accept the invitation to the meeting, going as far to say he is "thinking" of attending himself, if he thinks it would be helpful. But Sky News US correspondent Mark Stone thinks the prospect of three presidents being in the same room is unlikely. "If Putin and Zelenskyy were to meet, obviously, Trump would not want to miss out on the limelight there. But I am not going to put my money on it. At this stage, I just don't see Putin turning up," he said on the Trump 100 podcast. Fellow Sky correspondent James Matthews added that Mr Trump's attitude towards the conflict is in stark contrast to the claim he made on the campaign trail that he could end the war in a day. He said: "Beyond that campaigning bravado, Trump's stewardship over the diplomacy of the Russia-Ukraine conflict has been short of what he would have wanted. "For all the warmth towards Putin, he has been given the cold shoulder in return... Publicly, he is talking about possibly getting on a flight, and it isn't the image of a president in control of events, it is the leader of the free world actually being led by events."
