Towards a turning point in negotiations? The mystery still looms this Tuesday, May 13, around a possible meeting between Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin this week, while Donald Trump summoned the two leaders to see himself “immediately.”
It was the Russian president who, the first, spoke of the idea of taking “direct” discussions between Russians and Ukrainians this Thursday in Türkiye. One way to respond, without accepting it, to the ultimatum that kyiv and his allies launched a few hours before: respecting a high immediate fire of 30 days or exposing themselves to “massive” sanctions.
Vladimir Putin put this proposal on the table a few hours after the European meeting in kyiv, during a press conference gathered in an emergency. “Quickly intervened after foreign pressure, what he never does,” says the correspondent and BFMTV specialist in Russia Paul Gogo.
Radio silence in Moscow
kyiv’s response was not long to arrive. The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, took the Russian president and said he would “wait” Vladimir Putin on Thursday in Türkiye.
But since then, the leader has pointed out the “very strange silence” of Russia. The Russian presidency gave no indication about the delegation sent to Istanbul, content to say that it proceeds to “preparations for conversations”, according to the Tass agency.
Should we see the sign of a shame of Kremlin? “I had not anticipated the fact that Volodymyr Zelensky would take the ball to send it back saying ‘I will be in Turkey,” says BFMTV Ulrich Bounat, a specialist in Eastern Europe and associate researcher at Think Euro Craiv.
“For him, it was understood that they would be sent from each country. He is a bit caught in his own proposal,” abounds Paul Gogo in our antenna.
The presence of a decisive or not
Expected in Türkiye, the Russian president is personally involved in the Ukrainian archive. Until now, he adopted an outstanding position and limited his trips, content to receive the special emissary of Donald Trump Steve Witkoff in the Kremlin. “It was a comfortable position, especially since Steve Witkoff made him proposals that were very aligned with those of Russia,” says Ulrich Bounat.
So I will go, I will not go? The possible presence of Donald Trump at the discussion table could be a decisive factor. “If Donald Trump goes there, I am thinking that Vladimir Putin will also leave, he cannot afford to play the empty chair policy. On the other hand, if Donald Trump does not leave, Putin could be happy to send his Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov,” said Ulrich Bounat.
This Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the participation of his American counterpart “would give an additional impulse to Putin Vienne.”
At the moment, Donald Trump leaves the doubt about his presence in Türkiye. Before his departure for a tour in the Middle East, which will take him to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, indicated that he would stop in Türkiye only if “thinks that things can happen.”
The torn Russian president?
According to Ulrich Bounat, Vladimir Putin has all interest in going to Türkiye if he does not want to be the one who will assume responsibility for the failure of negotiations in the eyes of Donald Trump. However, the Kremlin teacher does not want to give the impression of giving to kyiv.
“He is finally taken among his desire to restore relations with Washington, seeing Donald Trump a historical opportunity to take Russia to the nations concert, and his refusal to set aside in Ukraine,” summarizes the researcher.
To get out of the head, the Russian president could, according to the specialist, demonstrate his good will chatting with kyiv, while accusing the opposite field of making the negotiations fail.
“I think there is a situation that will not move to Putin where there would be a start of negotiation but that would not lead to anything, and that would see the United States withdraw from the game without sanctioning the Russians,” says Ulrich Bounat.
The Trump administration has been repeating for several weeks that the United States has “other priorities” that Ukraine and that could withdraw from discussions between kyiv and Moscow if they were not conclusive. But be careful with Russia if you are perceived as the negotiation winder. European leaders and the United States will be able to act accordingly, “said Donald Trump.
Source: BFM TV
