WORLD NEWS FOR MONTENEGRO DIASPORA
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AUTHOR:M.J. GDNUS
Negotiations on a possible end to the war in Ukraine are being held today in Istanbul, but without the presence of Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump.
Yesterday, the Kremlin announced the composition of the Russian delegation, which will be led by presidential advisor Vladimir Medinsky, and which also includes deputy ministers Mikhail Galuzhin and Alexander Fomin.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that he is traveling to Ankara, where he met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. According to him, Kiev expects serious negotiations, but expresses doubts about the sincerity of Russian intentions
Earlier this week, the Turkish government announced its readiness to provide “any kind of support, including mediation and organization of negotiations”, with the aim of achieving peace in Ukraine. The warring parties last met face-to-face – also in Istanbul – in March 2022, just weeks after Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine.
Turkey has so far played an important role as a bridge between Moscow and Kiev. Its most notable contribution was its mediation in the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which secured safe passage for Ukrainian ships carrying food products – a rare diplomatic success in the midst of a brutal conflict. However, Russia withdrew from the agreement in 2023.
As a NATO member, Turkey has its own interests in the conflict, but is also perceived as a country that is relatively more open to Russia. Erdogan has repeatedly emphasized his “special relationship” with Putin.
20:38 Turkish Foreign Minister Meets Russian Delegation in Istanbul
The Turkish Foreign Ministry has just announced that Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will meet with a Russian delegation led by Vladimir Medinsky, an advisor to Russian President Vladimir Putin, at the Dolmabahçe Palace in Istanbul tonight.
19:35 Rubio: Only a direct conversation between Trump and Putin can bring progress
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters in Turkey that a face-to-face meeting between Trump and Putin is necessary for a "breakthrough".
"I think it's absolutely clear that the only way to make real progress is for President Trump and President Putin to meet," he said.
He added that he did not believe that "anything concrete and useful will happen from this point forward" until the leaders of the US and Russia engage in a "very frank and open conversation".
Rubio said that Trump was "ready" for that conversation and "eager" to see the war end.
"In my opinion, there will be no progress until President Trump and President Putin engage directly in the conversation on this topic," he reiterated.
Rubio added that the "level" of the team that Russia sent to Turkey "certainly does not indicate" a breakthrough in the peace talks.
"I hope I'm 100 percent wrong," Rubio told reporters.
"I hope tomorrow the news will say that they have agreed to a ceasefire and that they have agreed to serious negotiations. I honestly don't believe that will happen," he said.
19:03 When did Zelensky and Putin meet for the last time?
Putin last met with Zelensky at a summit in Paris on December 9, 2019, aimed at launching new efforts to bring peace to eastern Ukraine – more than two years before Russia launched a full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022. Zelensky, who took office in May 2019, and Putin then spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron and then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel, in another attempt to end the conflict that had claimed more than 13,000 lives since 2014.
