Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is ready to participate in peace talks in Istanbul this week, but only if they include a direct meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a senior adviser said on Monday.
“The president cannot meet with anyone else,” Mykhailo Podoliak, an adviser to the head of Ukraine’s presidential administration, said, according to the RBC-Ukraine news agency.
Podoliak said that the Russian power structure is well-known and that no other official has the authority to decide on war or peace.
“Even (Foreign Minister Sergei) Lavrov or (Prime Minister Mikhail) Mishustin are unlikely to be authorized to make such decisions,” he said, adding:
“Only Putin can make the decision to continue or end the war.”
He added that a lower-level meeting would only delay significant progress.
“This is another delay. What is the point of holding a lower-level meeting?” he said.
Negotiations to resolve the war between Russia and Ukraine have reached their most advanced stage in more than three years, with the leaders of both countries expected to hold direct talks in Istanbul on Thursday.
The proposal for a meeting in Istanbul on May 15 without preconditions was first raised by Putin during a press conference in Moscow on Sunday. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan later confirmed Turkey’s readiness to host the talks in a phone call with Putin.
In response, Zelensky said he would “personally wait for Putin in Turkey on Thursday,” but reiterated Ukraine’s call for a ceasefire starting Monday to “provide the necessary basis for diplomacy.”
The Kremlin had earlier spoken out.
Spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed on Tuesday that Russia was continuing preparations for peace talks with Ukraine, scheduled for Thursday in Istanbul.
“The Russian side is continuing preparations for the talks, which are scheduled to take place in Istanbul on Thursday. That’s all for now, no further comments,” Peskov said at a press briefing in Moscow.
He did not reveal the names of the members of the Russian delegation, while Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and presidential aide Yuri Ushakov are reportedly among the potential leaders of the delegation.
