The possibility of a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is contingent on both sides reaching an agreement, the Kremlin announced on Saturday.
This statement came in the wake of the first direct talks between Moscow and Kyiv in over three years, which unfortunately did not culminate in a ceasefire.
According to Breitbart, the day following these talks, a Russian drone attack on a minibus transporting evacuated civilians in the eastern Sumy region resulted in the death of nine individuals and left five wounded, as reported by local authorities.
In response to this incident, President Zelensky took to social media, stating, Yesterday, as on any day of this war, there was an opportunity to cease fire, and lamenting that Russia only retains the opportunity to continue killing. He reiterated his plea for Ukraines allies to intensify sanctions on Moscow, asserting, Without stronger sanctions, without stronger pressure on Russia, there will be no real diplomacy there.
The Istanbul talks, the first direct dialogue since the spring of 2022, led to an agreement to exchange 1,000 prisoners each. Ukraines top negotiator, Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, suggested that the next step would be a meeting between Zelensky and Putin.
The Kremlin acknowledged the request, with the spokesman stating, We consider it possible, but only as a result of the work and upon achieving certain results in the form of an agreement between the two sides.
Russias top negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky, indicated that both Moscow and Kyiv would present their vision of a possible future ceasefire, although he did not specify a timeline. The Kremlin emphasized that the prisoner swap must be completed and both sides must present their visions for a ceasefire before scheduling the next round of talks.
For now, we need to do what the delegations agreed on yesterday in Turkey, spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, adding that this, of course, means first and foremost to complete a 1,000 for 1,000 swap.
The head of Ukraines military intelligence, Kirillo Budanov, expressed optimism that the exchange would occur the following week, and he did not foresee any obstacles to the swap. However, there were few indications of progress towards ending the fighting on Saturday.
In a separate incident, a bus was attacked near the city of Bilopillya, resulting in the death of a family of three, according to local community head Yuri Zarko. Meanwhile, the Russian army claimed to have captured the village of Oleksandropil in the eastern Donetsk region, a hotspot for some of the most intense fighting in the war.
In addition to Sumy, Russia launched missiles and drones across eastern Ukraine, targeting the Kherson, Kharkiv, and Zaporizhzhia regions, resulting in six deaths and over a dozen injuries. In Kherson, a truck carrying humanitarian aid was hit by Russian shelling on Saturday morning.
French President Emmanuel Macron expressed confidence that his US counterpart Donald Trump would respond to Putins cynicism on Ukraine following the deadly minibus attack. Putin, however, declined to travel to Turkey for the meeting, leading Zelensky to accuse him of being afraid and Russia of not taking the talks seriously.
Yesterday in Istanbul, everyone saw a weak and unprepared Russian delegation with no significant powers. This must change. We need real steps to end the war, Zelensky said on Saturday.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio commended the outcome of the Istanbul talks during a phone call with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on Saturday, Russias Foreign Ministry said, adding Moscow was ready to continue working with the US on the matter.
On Friday, Zelensky attended a European summit in Albania where he called for a strong reaction from the world if the Istanbul talks failed, including new sanctions. Macron echoed this sentiment, stating that European nations were coordinating with Washington on additional sanctions should Moscow continue to refuse an unconditional ceasefire.
Both Moscow and Washington have expressed the need for a meeting on the conflict between Putin and US President Donald Trump. Trump has argued that nothings going to happen on the conflict until he meets Putin face-to-face.
During the Istanbul talks, the Ukrainian side said Russia was making unacceptable territorial demands. Moscow claims annexation of five Ukrainian regions four since its 2022 invasion, and Crimea, which it annexed in 2014.
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