Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
ANKARA, May 15 (Xinhua) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived here on Thursday to meet his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan amid renewed diplomatic efforts to end the conflict in Ukraine.
His visit to Turkey follows calls from Russian President Vladimir Putin to resume stalled peace talks in Istanbul.
V. Zelensky stated that he is ready to take part in direct peace talks with Russia in Istanbul, but only on the condition that V. Putin also takes part in them.
“I am waiting for who will arrive from Russia, and then I will determine what steps Ukraine should take. The signals from them in the media are not convincing yet,” V. Zelensky said late on Wednesday.
However, the Kremlin announced that Putin would not join the Russian delegation at the talks in Istanbul on Thursday, and Russia would be represented by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky.
Speaking at an informal NATO meeting in Antalya, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said: “The talks that will take place in Istanbul will probably allow us to open a new page.”
The last direct talks between Ukraine and Russia took place in Istanbul in March 2022, but the parties failed to agree on a cessation of hostilities. –0–