How the world reacts to the talks in Istanbul: first statements

Warsaw, London, and Rome supported Ukraine.

The negotiations in Turkey demonstrated that the Russian Federation has no intention of showing goodwill.

This was stated in a comment to journalists by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who is at the summit of the European Political Community in Tirana. According to RMF24 , he called the main task of politicians to preserve European and American unity on the issue of the war in Ukraine:

“The Russian side did not intend to negotiate in the presence of the American side. The Russian side set conditions that were unacceptable not only for Ukraine, but for all of us. We do not hide that the Russian position can hardly be called constructive. We probably still have very difficult days ahead of us.”

Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer wrote on the microblog X that Kremlin ruler Putin must bear responsibility for opposing peace. “People in Ukraine and around the world have paid the price for Putin’s aggression, now he must pay the price for avoiding peace. I will not allow Russia to disrupt the ceasefire. Volodymyr Zelensky, Britain always stands with Ukraine,” he said.

And Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Maloni called on partners to insist on an unconditional ceasefire and a serious peace agreement that would provide Ukraine with security guarantees.

“We must not fold our hands. In these hours we have seen, contrary to some propaganda, who is actually ready to take important steps in favor of peace, and who, on the contrary, is clearly less ready,” she said in a comment to Ansa .

Negotiations in Istanbul

As is known, during the first direct meeting since 2022, representatives of Ukraine and Russia discussed a ceasefire, a large-scale 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner exchange, and the possibility of a personal meeting between President Volodymyr Zelensky and Putin.

The negotiations were initiated by the Russian side to “compensate” for the refusal to accept the ceasefire, which the United States and the European Union countries insisted on.

According to media reports, during the meeting, the Russian delegation demanded that Ukraine withdraw its troops from the territories that the occupiers had included in their constitution.

The Economist’s Oliver Carroll reported that Putin’s adviser assured the Ukrainian side that Russia was ready to fight forever . He also told them that those present “could lose more of their loved ones.”

(C)UNIAN 2025