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By Shane Croucher
Senior Editor
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of being too "afraid" to turn up for face-to-face peace talks in Istanbul as direct negotiations erupted in accusations that Russia made "unacceptable demands."
The two sides met for the first set of direct negotiations in more than three years, though expectations were lowered after the Russian side sent a low-level delegation. Ukraine wants a full and immediate ceasefire as an initial step to peace.
Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to Putin and the head of the Russian delegation, said he was satisfied with the talks, the state news agency TASS reported.
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Medinsky said a prisoner swap had been agreed and that both sides would present visions of a ceasefire, after which talks would continue. He said Ukraine had also requested a meeting between Putin and Zelensky.
Zelensky, speaking at a meeting of European leaders in Albania, said Istanbul presented "a real chance to take important steps toward ending this war, if only Putin had not been afraid to come to Turkey."
He added that it was "not just for a meeting, but to resolve all the important issues." However, Putin "didn't agree to anything," Zelensky said.
Russian Demands 'Detached From Reality'
An unnamed senior Ukrainian official at the peace talks taking place in Istanbul on Friday accused Moscow of introducing "unacceptable demands" that had not been previously discussed, the Associated Press reported.
This included calls for Kyiv's forces to withdraw from large swaths of territory they control and for a complete ceasefire to be implemented.
The official said it seemed as if the Russian delegation "deliberately wants to throw nonstarters on the table in order to walk away from today's meeting without any results."
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He said the Ukrainian side reiterated that it remained focused on achieving real progress—an immediate ceasefire and a pathway to substantive diplomacy, "just like the U.S., European partners, and other countries proposed," the official added.
Another Ukrainian diplomatic source, also speaking anonymously, told Reuters that "Russian demands are detached from reality and go far beyond anything that was previously discussed."
"They include ultimatums for Ukraine to withdraw from its territory for a ceasefire and other nonstarters and nonconstructive conditions," the source told Reuters.
Zelensky, Starmer Speak to Trump
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who was with Zelensky in Albania, said they had a call with U.S. President Donald Trump "to discuss the developments in the negotiations today."
"And the Russian position is clearly unacceptable, and not for the first time," Starmer told reporters. "So as a result of that meeting with President Zelensky and that call with President Trump, we are now closely aligning our responses and will continue to do so."
This article includes reporting by the Associated Press.
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