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Zelensky says he will fly to Istanbul at a moment’s notice if Putin does show up
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Donald Trump will no longer join Russia–Ukraine peace talks in Istanbul as it looks like Russian president Vladimir Putin won’t be there himself.
A U.S. official spoke after Putin announced the Russian delegation for the talks, a list that did not include the Russian leader himself. Washington’s special envoy Keith Kellogg had previously said Mr Trump would join the leaders in Istanbul if Putin would be there.
“We’re hoping President Putin shows up as well, and then President Trump will be there. This could be an absolutely incredible meeting,” Mr Kellog said. “We can get peace, I really believe, pretty fast if all three leaders sit down and talk.”
Volodymyr Zelensky, for his part, has said he will go to Istanbul only if Mr Putin does. “If Putin does not arrive and plays games, it is the final point [showing] that he does not want to end the war. Trump needs to believe that Putin actually lies,” he said.
The Ukrainian president is due to meet with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara.
Germany has arrested three Ukrainian nationals suspected of acting as foreign spies in a plot related to explosive parcels, prosecutors said on Wednesday.
The nationals, who are accused of working for Russian state institutions, have been linked by authorities to a shipment of parcels containing explosive devices, federal prosecutors said.
Two of the men, identified in line with German privacy laws only as Vladyslav T and Daniil B, were arrested over the weekend in Germany. Another, identified as Yevhen B, was arrested on Tuesday in Switzerland.
“The defendants are strongly suspected of acting as agents for the purpose of sabotage,” the statement said, accusing them of agreeing to commit serious arson and procure explosives.
German authorities warned businesses in August last year that packages containing incendiary devices had caught fire en route across Europe.
Logistics firm DHL took measures to protect its network following several fires at a warehouse in Leipzig.
The EU has approved a seventeenth sanctions package on Russia, French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot has said.
Speaking to BFMTV on Wednesday, he added that the bloc would now turn to working on further, tougher sanctions in coordination with the United States.
Retired General Jack Keane, former Vice Chief of Staff for the US Army, has accused Vladimir Putin of “stalling” at peace talks as the Russian leader will no longer attend the summit in Turkey.
Speaking to Fox News, General Keane said “the truth is the Europeans got together and visited Kyiv last week and they were in full support of Zelensky, Ukraine, 30 day ceasefire and also major sanctions similar to what the United States were putting together.
“That kind of unity we really hadn’t seen.
“Next thing we know, Putin within hours, is offering ‘let’s talk to Ukraine directly, let’s doing it in Turkey,’” he added, explaining that Ukraine’s leader had agreed to attend these talks if Putin showed up in person.
The general continued: “In my own line, Putin is using that talk to stall, that’s his motivation here, and trying to get more concessions.”
Russia has released the list of their delegation to direct talks with Ukraine on settling the war with Vladimir Putin notably absent.
The delegation included:
US president Donald Trump is not going to Turkey to join Russia-Ukraine talks on Thursday, a U.S. official said on Wednesday.
The official spoke after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the Russian delegation for the talks, a list that did not include Putin himself. Trump had initially toyed with the idea of going to Turkey if Putin would be there.
Ukraine has destroyed one of Russia’s key defence anti-aircraft missile system and a rocket launcher, its military officials said on Tuesday.
A drone attack by Ukrainian Special Operations Forces destroyed a Russian Buk-M3 anti-aircraft missile system and a Uragan-1 multiple launch rocket system (MLSR), its unit said in a statement.
The attack that took place yesterday was part of a reconnaissance strike in an unspecified frontline sector where they detected the Buk-M3 and the Uragan-1 on combat duty, the unit said.
The Ukrainian forces fired attack drones and hit the targets which destroyed the Buk-M3 system and its ammunition. Ukrainian military officials did not specify the time of the attack.
The fate of potentially groundbreaking Ukraine peace talks hangs in the balance as of Wednesday afternoon, as Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin hold back on confirming their attendance.
Neither president has ruled out showing up to the talks beginning in Istanbul on Thursday. Both Mr Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky say their attendance depends on that of the Russian leader – but the Kremlin has not yet revealed whether he will join talks.
The Ukrainian president offered to meet Putin face-to-face during the talks in Istanbul. Whether or not the presidents attend, delegations from Kyiv and Moscow will meet in Turkey on Thursday for the first direct talks since March 2022.
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Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni has expressed hope that Russia will agree to a 30-day ceasefire proposed by the US and Ukraine, in a phone call with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Ms Meloni and Mr Erdogan spoke on Tuesday and discussed the diplomatic prospects of Volodymyr Zelensky’s scheduled visit to Turkey – which he has called for Russian president Vladimir Putin to join.
She told the Turkish president that Russia is expected to respond positively to an invitation for high-level negotiations and will agree to an unconditional 30-day ceasefire, Ukrainska Pravda reported.
On a mild spring evening, deep in eastern Ukraine, Shawn McVey – call sign “Goldfish” – peers into a gully where controlled chaos is unfolding. “If you’re too busy killing, you don’t have time to die,” he bellows across the smoke-filled twilight.
Explosions punctuate the dusk, casting brief, searing flashes over a network of trenches carved deep into Ukrainian soil. Helmets bob through the haze; figures crawl and scramble under fire, their shouts blending with the staccato of simulated gunfire.
“Your job isn’t to die for Ukraine – it’s to make sure they die for Russia,” roars Brad, call sign ‘Cossack’, a grizzled 20-year veteran of the US 82nd Airborne and the camp’s head instructor.
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Ukraine war latest: Peace up in air as Putin and Trump won’t attend Turkey talks – The Independent
