Behind the Diplomatic Curtain: Kremlin Plays for Suspense as World Waits for Putin to Meet Zelensky

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Quick Summary:

• Russian President Vladimir Putin will not travel to Istanbul for talks with Ukraine, the Kremlin says. Instead, presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky is named head of the Russian delegation. Medinsky will be joined by Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin and Igor Kostyukov, the head of Russia’s military intelligence agency (GRU) The order also names a group of expert advisers, including senior officials from the Foreign and Defense Ministries and the presidential administration. U.S. President Donald Trump, who is currently traveling in the Middle East, will also skip the talks, a White House official told Reuters. Putin announced the talks on Sunday as a counteroffer to Western-backed calls for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine, but has refused to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in person to discuss the issue.
• Russian President Vladimir Putin will not travel to Istanbul for talks with Ukraine, the Kremlin says. Instead, presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky is named head of the Russian delegation. Medinsky will be joined by Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin and Igor Kostyukov, the head of Russia’s military intelligence agency (GRU) The order also names a group of expert advisers, including senior officials from the Foreign and Defense Ministries and the presidential administration. U.S. President Donald Trump, who is currently traveling in the Middle East, will also skip the talks, a White House official told Reuters. Putin announced the talks on Sunday as a counteroffer to Western-backed calls for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine, but has refused to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in person to discuss the issue.

Country-by-Country Breakdown:

Putin Won’t Attend Istanbul Talks, Taps Kremlin Aide Medinsky to Lead Delegation

Russian President Vladimir Putin will not travel to Istanbul for talks with Ukraine, the Kremlin says. Instead, presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky is named head of the Russian delegation. Medinsky will be joined by Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin and Igor Kostyukov, the head of Russia’s military intelligence agency (GRU) The order also names a group of expert advisers, including senior officials from the Foreign and Defense Ministries and the presidential administration. U.S. President Donald Trump, who is currently traveling in the Middle East, will also skip the talks, a White House official told Reuters. Putin announced the talks on Sunday as a counteroffer to Western-backed calls for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine, but has refused to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in person to discuss the issue. Read full article

Putin Won’t Attend Istanbul Talks, Taps Kremlin Aide Medinsky to Lead Delegation

Russian President Vladimir Putin will not travel to Istanbul for talks with Ukraine, the Kremlin says. Instead, presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky is named head of the Russian delegation. Medinsky will be joined by Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin and Igor Kostyukov, the head of Russia’s military intelligence agency (GRU) The order also names a group of expert advisers, including senior officials from the Foreign and Defense Ministries and the presidential administration. U.S. President Donald Trump, who is currently traveling in the Middle East, will also skip the talks, a White House official told Reuters. Putin announced the talks on Sunday as a counteroffer to Western-backed calls for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine, but has refused to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in person to discuss the issue. Read full article

Putin Meets With Malaysian Prime Minister in Moscow

Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in the Kremlin on Wednesday. The talks focused on economic cooperation amid Western sanctions. The meeting came two days after the UN’s civil aviation body held Russia responsible for the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 over Ukraine. Despite the timing, Putin said the two countries were considering launching direct flights. He said the talks covered a “full range” of bilateral and international issues, resulting in “concrete plans” to deepen ties. The next session of the Russian-Malaysian intergovernmental economic commission is scheduled for the fall. Read full article

Why Does Putin Suddenly Want Direct Peace Talks With Ukraine?

Vladimir Putin has proposed direct talks between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators in Turkey. Ukraine has warned that Putin’s refusal to meet with his counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky would signal that Moscow has no real intention of ceasing hostilities. The Kremlin declined to say who Russia would send to Turkey after Putin proposed negotiations in a late-night statement over the weekend, but said Moscow “continues to prepare for the talks.” Experts and public figures warn that his renewed interest in diplomacy may be more about shaping global perception than a true interest in ending the war.. Analysts say the proposed meeting plays to Russia’s advantage, with Moscow seemingly attempting to reshape the rules on its terms by proposing talks after Kyiv and several European countries called for a full and unconditional 30-day ceasefire starting Monday. At the same time, the move may be aimed at appeasing both domestic hardliners and international skeptics. “The emphasis on the fact that Russia is merely resuming interrupted Istanbul talks is most suited for balancing between compromise and the desire to fight, between legitimacy and power,” said Alexander Baunov, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.“This war is not Read full article

What Prospects Are There for Russia-Ukraine Peace Talks in Istanbul?

Ukraine and its allies urged Moscow to agree to a full and unconditional 30-day ceasefire starting Monday. President Volodymyr Zelensky later upped the stakes by saying he would be “waiting for Putin in Turkey on Thursday.” The prospect of direct talks between Russia and Ukraine to end the war is once again on the table after weeks of diplomatic back-and-forth. Putin said he was “committed to serious negotiations with Ukraine” and that he wanted talks to “eliminate the root causes of the conflict and to establish a long-lasting peace” The two sides held failed talks in Istanbul in the early weeks of the war in 2022, but the talks fell through by May.. Ukraine would agree to permanent neutrality in return for international security guarantees from the five permanent members of the UN Security Council as well as other nations including Belarus, Canada, Germany, Israel, Poland and Turkey. The draft also included provisions to ease Ukraine’s potential accession to the EU, while Russia sought restrictions on Ukraine’s military capabilities and the repeal of legislation it saw as discriminatory toward Russian speakers. In June 2022, Russia confirmed that “everything stalled” after Moscow submitted a draft proposal in April and Read full article

Brazil’s Lula Pitches ‘Strategic Partnership’ With Russia

Lula was among more than two dozen foreign leaders who attended the Victory Day military parade. He expressed “great interest’ in Russia’s small nuclear reactors. Lula: “We’re interested in discussing military, space, scientific, educational and above all energy.’’ “My visit is aimed at strengthening the building of our strategic partnership,” he said. Read full article

Zelensky Warns Putin Wants to ‘Manipulate’ Trump on Ukraine

“This is not how it is not going to be how it will be brought back, or he will be bringing back. This is not the first time this will be the last, or the first, or even the first or the third or the fourth or the sixth or the seventh or the tenth or the hundredth or the thousandth or thousandth of the first to be the first of many things to happen in the history of the world. It is the first and the last time this can be seen to be seen as the beginning or the end of the beginning of a trend that has been going on for more than a century. This can be felt in the form of the “I am confident that no one has ever said, and I want to come back to see this, that we are ready for these things to be said, or that they will be coming back to be changed, or they are going to go back and change the way they have been. I’m going to try and see if I can get the first thing that can be said to be “the first” or “the most important” to be. I am not sure what the first is, but I am trying to see the first Read full article

Global Perspectives Summary:

Global media portray this story through varied cultural, economic, and political filters. While some focus on geopolitical ramifications, others highlight local impacts and human stories. Some nations frame the story around diplomatic tensions and international relations, while others examine domestic implications, public sentiment, or humanitarian concerns. This diversity of coverage reflects how national perspectives, media freedom, and journalistic priorities influence what the public learns about global events.

How did your country report this? Share your view in the comments.

Sources:

• Putin Won’t Attend Istanbul Talks, Taps Kremlin Aide Medinsky to Lead Delegation
• Putin Won’t Attend Istanbul Talks, Taps Kremlin Aide Medinsky to Lead Delegation
• Putin Meets With Malaysian Prime Minister in Moscow
• Why Does Putin Suddenly Want Direct Peace Talks With Ukraine?
• What Prospects Are There for Russia-Ukraine Peace Talks in Istanbul?
• Brazil’s Lula Pitches ‘Strategic Partnership’ With Russia
• Zelensky Warns Putin Wants to ‘Manipulate’ Trump on Ukraine

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