The meeting lasted barely two hours within the Palace of Dolmabahçe, on the European bank of the Bosphorus. The first direct talks between Ukraine and Russia for more than three years of war quickly turned short, Friday, May 16, in Istanbul.
The ten days of intense diplomatic maneuvers instilled by Europeans and Americans have failed to lead to real advances in Turkey: a cease-fire and a peace agreement seem more distant than ever, so much the differences seem insurmountable between the two belligerents. Despite the good Turkish offices, it is even difficult to talk about the beginning of a real negotiation.
Thursday, Vladimir Putin refused to come to Istanbul to meet Volodymyr Zelensky, received in Ankara by Recep Tayyip Erdogan, despite the pressure on the two leaders by Donald Trump and the main European leaders. After this failed meeting, it was still necessary hours of American and Turkish mediation to manage to convince the Russian and Ukrainian delegations to cross.
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Source: Lemonde