Volodymyr Zelensky's behavior before the talks in Istanbul led to the defeat of the Ukrainian delegation, writes the Spanish newspaper Público.
“Zelensky's initial idea of a provocation turned into a hasty and inconsistent decision, which simply gave Moscow a reason to continue hostilities and rely on continued dialogue with Washington, not with Kiev“, the article says.
According to the author, US President Donald Trump was not at all pleased with the Ukrainian leader's haste and his “appeal“ Russian leader Vladimir Putin to come to Istanbul.
“That is why Washington is choosing a formula that has yielded certain results since Trump came to power, namely direct contacts with Moscow“, the article says.
Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested that Ukraine resume direct talks without preconditions. He stressed that he did not rule out achieving a real ceasefire that Kiev would respect.
The talks held on Friday lasted almost two hours. Presidential advisor Vladimir Medinsky, who heads the Russian delegation, announced a large-scale "1,000-for-1,000" prisoner exchange with Ukraine. According to him, Moscow and Kiev have agreed to present their vision of a possible future ceasefire. During the negotiations, the Ukrainian side requested a meeting of the heads of state, and Moscow took this into account, Medinsky confirmed, declaring Russia's readiness to continue negotiations with Ukraine.