Latest news with #NormandyFour
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Level of Russian delegation 'not indicative' of breakthrough in Istanbul peace talks, Rubio says
U.S. State Secretary Marco Rubio said on May 15 peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in Turkey are unlikely to yield meaningful progress, calling the low-level Russian delegation "not indicative of one that's going to lead to a major breakthrough." "I hope I'm wrong. I hope I'm 100% wrong. I hope tomorrow the news says they've agreed to a ceasefire, they've agreed to enter serious negotiations," Rubio told reporters during a briefing in Ankara. "But I'm just giving you my assessment." After Moscow proposed to hold peace talks in Turkey this week, Zelensky agreed and invited Putin for a face-to-face meeting. The Russian leader declined to attend and appointed his aide, Vladimir Medinsky, to lead the talks. Ukraine, in turn, decided to send its delegation on May 15, led by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov. Rubio said that meaningful progress would likely only come through a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The same idea was echoed by Trump earlier in the day. "The next thing that has to happen for there to be a breakthrough is going to involve President Trump's direct involvement," Rubio said. "And I believe the president shares my assessment." Rubio also said he would meet with Ukraine's senior delegation and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, while other lower-level members of the U.S. team will attend the talks involving Russian representatives. He added that Trump is "impatient to end this war," saying, 'Our goal here is to achieve peace — whether that begins with a 30-day ceasefire, a one-day ceasefire, or a final deal that's all negotiated in a single day. To us, the process is less important than the outcome.' The talks, which could become the first direct diplomatic encounter between Zelensky and Putin since Russia's full-scale invasion began in 2022, stalled after the Russian leader appointed a delegation of lower-level officials to attend instead. and met only once during the 2019 Normandy Four meeting in France. Since then, there have been no direct in-person meetings between the two. Kyiv and its allies have proposed an unconditional 30-day ceasefire beginning on May 12 as a first step toward peace — a proposal that Russia has so far ignored. Read also: 'Bark from Moscow' — Kyiv hits back as Russian Foreign Ministry insults Zelensky We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Putin delays ceasefire by snubbing peace talks with Zelensky, Starmer says
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of "dragging his feet" and obstructing peace efforts in Ukraine after Putin declined to attend face-to-face talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Turkey, the Guardian reported on May 15. "What's happened today is further evidence that it's Putin who is dragging his feet," Starmer said. "It is Putin who is causing the delay in a ceasefire." After Moscow proposed to hold peace talks in Turkey this week, Zelensky agreed and invited Putin for a face-to-face meeting. The Russian leader declined to attend and appointed his aide, Vladimir Medinsky, to lead the talks. Ukraine, in turn, decided to send its delegation on May 15, led by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov. It would not include the head of the General Staff, and the head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), as it was previously suggested. Starmer said Ukraine had already agreed to a 30-day unconditional ceasefire and that it was Moscow that continued to block progress. "Ukraine has long been clear, several months ago now, that they would have a 30-day unconditional ceasefire, and we have long said that it's Putin who is standing in the way of that peace," he said. The talks, which could become the first direct diplomatic encounter between the two leaders since Russia's full-scale invasion began in 2022, stalled after Putin appointed a delegation of lower-level officials to attend instead. and met only once during the 2019 Normandy Four meeting in France. Since then, there have been no direct in-person meetings between the two. Kyiv and its allies have proposed an unconditional 30-day ceasefire beginning on May 12 as a first step toward peace — a proposal that Russia has so far ignored. Read also: Zelensky decries Russia's 'sham' delegation ahead of potential peace talks in Turkey We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Zelensky arrives in Turkey, decries Russia's 'sham' delegation ahead of potential peace talks
Editor's note: The article was expanded with Zelensky's comments. President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Turkey on May 15 ahead of potential ceasefire negotiations with Russia, even as Russian President Vladimir Putin is skipping the talks. Zelensky's plane has landed at Ankara airport as the president first plans to hold talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Turkey's capital. Speaking to journalists at the airport, Zelensky said that the Ukrainian delegation is of the "highest level," including Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, representatives of the military and the Presidential Office, and heads of "all intelligence agencies." A Russian delegation has also arrived to meet with Ukrainian representatives for peace talks in Istanbul — without Putin. The Kremlin has ruled out Putin's trip to Turkey, revealing that the negotiations will instead be led by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky. Ukraine's president will decide on his next steps regarding peace talks with Russia after meeting with Erdogan, a source close to the Presidential Office told the Kyiv Independent. "We need to understand what the level of the Russian delegation is, what their mandate is, and whether they are capable of making decisions on their own," Zelensky said after arriving in Ankara. "Because we all know who makes decisions in Russia," he added, saying Moscow appears to have sent a "sham" delegation. U.S. President Donald Trump initially voiced optimism about the prospects of the meeting and suggested he might attend as well on May 16 if progress is made. "I don't really believe that Putin himself is capable of meeting. It seems to me that he is afraid," Zelensky said in an interview with Spiegel published earlier this week. Presidential Advisor Mykhailo Podolyak said on May 13 that Zelensky would not meet with lower-level Russian officials in Istanbul if Putin failed to appear, saying there would be no point in such negotiations. According to the Washington Post, U.S. and European officials urged Zelensky not to abandon the Istanbul talks regardless of Putin's participation. While not in the cards for the May 15 talks, a presidential-level meeting could signal a breakthrough in stalled diplomatic efforts to end Russia's full-scale invasion. Zelensky and Putin met only once during the 2019 Normandy Four meeting in France. Since then, there have been no direct in-person meetings between the two presidents. Zelensky said that a potential talk with Putin would center around an unconditional ceasefire and an all-for-all prisoner exchange. It is unclear whether Zelensky will still join the Istanbul talks without Putin's participation. Kyiv and its allies have proposed an unconditional 30-day ceasefire beginning on May 12 as a first step toward peace — a proposal that Russia has so far ignored. While no additional meetings have been officially announced, representatives from Ukraine, the U.S., and Russia are also arriving in Turkey. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Turkey on May 14 and met with Sybiha in Antalya. Sybiha also met with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan. Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, is expected to travel to Istanbul with Rubio on May 16 to participate in discussions on Ukraine. The Kremlin revealed its list of delegates late on May 14. In addition to Medinsky, Russia is sending Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, Military Intelligence Director Igor Kostyukov, and Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will not attend, nor will Putin's foreign policy aide, Yuri Ushakov. There were no reports of any other scheduled meetings between Ukrainian, U.S., and Russian officials. Read also: Despite the hype, EU's latest Russia sanctions 'not as strong as they should be' We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
New details emerge of Russian general killed in car bombing near Moscow
The senior Russian general killed in a car bombing in Moscow on April 25 prepared reports for Russian President Vladimir Putin on the situation in Ukraine, according to an obituary from the Russian Defense Ministry on April 29. Yaroslav Moskalik was a deputy chief of the main operations directorate of Russia's army and reportedly led the combat duty shift overseeing battlefield developments from the Russian General Staff, the obituary, published in the Russian state newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda, reported. He was killed in an explosion in the Russian city of Balashikha, Moscow Oblast, a spokesperson for the Investigative Committee of Russia confirmed on April 25. Ukrainian officials have not commented on Moskalik's death, though on April 28, President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had received intelligence updates on the elimination of senior figures within Russia's military leadership. According to the obituary, from 2015 to 2021 Moskalik was also part of the Russian delegation to the Minsk Contact Group and participated in the Minsk talks and Normandy Four meetings in Berlin and Paris. He also worked on planning Russia's military intervention in Syria in 2015. Russia's FSB claimed on April 26 to have detained a suspect, Ignat Kuzin, accused of killing Moskalik in the car bombing. According to Russian authorities, Kuzin allegedly put the explosive device in the parked vehicle. The FSB claimed the device was remotely controlled from the territory of Ukraine. A criminal case has been opened. The incident took place as U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Moscow earlier in the day to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin. While Ukraine has not been officially linked to the recent car bombing, Kyiv has previously targeted Russian officials who play a key role in Russia's full-scale invasion. Igor Kirillov, the head of the Russian Armed Forces' radiation, chemical, and biological defense troops, was killed in an explosion at a residence in Moscow in December 2024, a source in the Security Service of Ukraine told the Kyiv Independent. Mikhail Shatsky, a Russian expert involved in modernizing missiles launched against Ukraine, was shot dead near Moscow on Dec. 12, a Defense Forces source told the Kyiv Independent. Aleksey Kolomeitsev, a Russian colonel who trained specialists in the use of attack drones, was killed in the city of Kolomna in Moscow Oblast, Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) reported on Sept. 28. Read also: 'Justice inevitably comes' — Zelensky on deaths of high-ranking Russian officials We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Suspect detained in Moscow car bombing, Russian FSB claims
Ignat Kuzin was detained for allegedly planting a bomb that killed a senior Russian general, Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said on April 26. Lieutenant General , deputy chief of the main operations directorate of Russia's army, was killed when a car exploded in the yard of a residential building in the Russian city of Balashikha, Moscow Oblast, on April 25. Kuzin was detained for questioning, the said. The FSB claimed Kuzin, born in 1983, is an "agent of the Ukrainian special services," who they say holds a residence permit in . Kuzin is a suspect in planting a car bomb that allegedly killed Moskalik. He is accused of terrorist acts and the illegal storage of as outlined by the Russian criminal code. The suspect allegedly retrieved the homemade explosive from a hiding place facilitated by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), the FSB claimed. He allegedly bought a Volkswagen Golf beforehand, planted a handmade explosive under the car, and parked it near the home of Russian general Moskalik. The FSB claimed that the bomb was detonated on April 25 from the territory of Ukraine, killing Moskalik on the spot as he left the entrance of his home. The incident occurred as U.S. Special Envoy arrived in Moscow on April 25 to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin. Moskalik was listed as a member of the Russian delegation during the 2015 Normandy Format talks, set up to find a resolution to Russia's war in eastern Ukraine. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported that Moskalik was also involved in the high-level Normandy Four meeting in 2019 and was in talks with now-ousted Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad a year earlier. We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
