As anticipated, Russian thug and war criminal Vladimir Putin was a no-show in Istanbul for peace talks with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy today. Instead the Russian aggressors sent a mid-level team to pretend they were interested in peace talks, despite Putin being the ultimate decision maker. From the Associated Press:
"With Putin absent, the Russian delegation was in Istanbul — more than 400 kilometers (almost 300 miles) west of Ankara — and it wasn’t clear whether the sides would even meet for their first such talks since March 2022, following Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbor the previous month.
Zelenskyy said the Russian delegation appeared to be merely “a theater prop” following a weekend of diplomatic brinksmanship between Moscow to Kyiv in the 3-year-old war.
Putin’s absence punctured hopes of a breakthrough in peace efforts that were given a push in recent months by the Trump administration and Western European leaders amid the intense maneuvering. It also raised the prospect of intensified international sanctions on Russia that have been threatened by the West.
Speaking at the airport in Ankara, Zelenskyy said the next steps for talks would be decided after his meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who welcomed him with an honor guard at the presidential palace in Ankara." (our emphasis)
Putin's aim is to stall talks and resist imposing a cease fire so that his forces can eat away at Ukrainian territory. To stop with his seizure of Ukrainian territory now would mean a defeat in his eyes, since his goal from February 2022 has been the absorption of the whole of Ukraine into the "greater Russian" empire. He's forfeited the lives of tens of thousands of Russian and allied troops in his quest to recreate the boundaries of the old Soviet Union, which he loyally served as an intelligence officer. His refusal to meet face-to-face with Zelenskyy is proof that peace is not his goal.
(photo: "Vlad, you know I wanted to team up with you against Zelenskyy")
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