Ukraine updates: Zelenskyy slams Putin's absence in Turkey

Talks between Ukrainian and Russian diplomats in Istanbul will be held on Friday, German news agency dpa cited a Turkish Foreign Ministry source as saying.

Russia and Ukraine had been expected to meet in Istanbul on Thursday.

Also on Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed he would not attend talks in Istanbul, citing the absence of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Vladimir Putin called for peace talks in Istanbul, Turkey, but then decided not to attend.

Russian state TV has covered the story extensively, downplaying Putin's absence by saying it is beneath him to attend, while at the same time broadcasting images of him giving detailed instructions to his team of delegates.

Russian media argues the real discussion will not ultimately take place in Istanbul, nor will it take place between Putin and Zelenskyy — but rather between Putin, US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Russia's Foreign Ministry has meanwhile rejected criticism that Moscow only sent a second-tier delegation to the peace negotiations in Istanbul. 

State-run news agency TASS reported that the most qualified experts were dispatched to Turkey, citing spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.

The spokeswoman said the experts were prepared and competent to discuss all relevant matters.

"International law, certainly. The situation on the ground, certainly. Questions of combat operations, certainly," Zakharova was quoted as saying.

Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, confirmed he would not be taking part in talks with Russian officials in Istanbul on Friday.

He is sending a delegation instead, headed by his Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.

Zelenskyy made the announcement after Russian President Vladimir Putin did not attend face-to-face talks he himself proposed.

"After learning about the level of the Russian delegation we see that unfortunately they are not taking the real negotiations very seriously," Zelenskyy said in Ankara.

"So far we don't see, among those present, anyone who actually makes decisions. Although I want to remind you, it was Russia who proposed direct negotiations," Zelenskyy said.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that a breakthrough was not expected in the Istanbul talks between Ukraine and Russia.

"I want to be frank. I don't think we don't have high expectations of what will happen tomorrow," AFP news agency quoted Rubio as telling reporters following NATO talks in Antalya, Turkey.

"It's my assessment that I don't think we're going to have a breakthrough here until the President (Trump) and President Putin interact directly on this topic," The Reuters news agency quoted Rubio as saying.

Russia was earlier criticized by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who said Moscow had sent a "decorative" delegation to the talks.

A top Russian negotiator told local state TV that Moscow is ready to discuss "possible compromises" in talks with Ukraine over the end of the war between the countries.

"We are ready to work, to resume the Istanbul talks," Vladimir Medinsky said, adding that the country is willing to discuss "possible compromises."

Medinsky is a former culture minister who also participated in a previous round of talks between Moscow and Kyiv in Turkey in 2022.

This week's talks between Moscow and Kyiv will take place without Russian President Vladimir Putin, with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying he is sending a team headed by the country's defense minister.

The international military exercise Arcane Thunder 25 is underway, with nearly 500 soldiers from the USA, Poland and Germany taking part. 

The exercise includes land, air and cyber-security drills, according to the Polish military.

The three countries are all NATO members and some of Ukraine's strongest allies. Poland is located on the alliance's eastern flank, bordering both Russia and Moscow ally Belarus.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has announced plans to make Germany's armed forces the "strongest conventional army in Europe."

US President Donald Trump said he did not expect any agreement between  Russiaand Ukraine until he meets President Vladimir Putin.

"I don't believe anything's going to happen, whether you like it or not, until he and I get together," Trump told reporters on board the Air Force One as he was on his way to the United Arab Emirates.

Trump also called for an end to the war between Kyiv and Moscow.

"Too many people are dying," he said.

Russia is not serious about achieving a ceasefire in Ukraine and is pursuing delaying tactics it has often employed in the past, two experts have told DW.

Knut Abraham, a member of the conservative CDU party, said, "You clearly see the intent by the Russian president is not to proceed, but just play on the chess field."  

Abraham, a member of Germany's Foreign Affairs Committee, and a former diplomat, said the way Moscow was approaching ceasefire talks was "an old Russian trick."

 "Start contacts, negotiations and then prolong and just pretend to be interested in dialogue, but in fact not move a millimeter forward," he said. 

He said Europe had to strengthen sanctions on Moscow "so that there is no misunderstanding in Moscow that we really mean it seriously."

Military and security expert Gustav Gressel told DW that it was "roughly expected" that Russian President Vladimir Putin would snub the talks and that his absence helped him stop the West from continuing to talk about a 30-day ceasefire between both sides.

"The Russians are pretty confident that they will win the war," Gressel said. "They're playing with time."

Gressel also said Western sanctions were not having the desired effect on Moscow, even calling the most recent package of sanctions against Russia's so-called shadow fleet a "symbolic act."

"There is no big amount of pressure coming from the West (towards Russia)," he said.
 

Estonia has said Russia briefly sent a fighter plane into NATO airspace amid an attempt by the Estonian navy to stop an oil tanker believed to be defying Western sanctions on Moscow.

"The Russian Federation sent a fighter jet to check the situation, and this fighter jet violated NATO territory for close to one minute," Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna told reporters in Turkey.

He said the incident over the Baltic Sea showed Russia was "ready to protect the 'shadow fleet'" of more than 100 vessels that the West believes is being used by Moscow to export oil and other products in contravention of sanctions.

"The situation is really serious," Tsahkna said.

Russia insists all its ships have free passage in the Baltic Sea, warning that any attempt to stop them is dangerous.

The unflagged "Jaguar" ship involved in the incident was later escorted to Russian waters.

NATO chief Mark Rutte said at a press conference in Turkey that the military alliance was in close contact with Estonia over the incident.

 

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has said Germany is taking the lead in raising defense spending.

He said he was very happy about Berlin's move, as Germany was the biggest European economy.

His remarks come as German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said he backed US President Donald Trump's demand for NATO members to spend 5% of GDP on defense.

Wadephul made his comment after meeting with US top diplomat Marco Rubio on the sidelines of an informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Turkey.

Last week, Reuters reported that German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius was looking to drastically increase the country's annual defense budget to over €60 billion ($68.21 billion) starting in 2025.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has traveled to Turkey for talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has said Kyiv would decide on the next steps in negotiations with Russia after the meeting.

He told reporters at Ankara's airport that Russia had sent merely a "decorative" delegation to talks with Ukraine scheduled in Turkey on Thursday. 

"The level of the Russian [delegation] is not known officially to me but from what we see, it looks more like it's on a decorative level," Zelenskyy said.

"We need to understand what kind of level the Russian delegation is, and what mandate they have and whether they can make any decisions."

Russia's negotiating team is led by a hardline historian and Kremlin aide, Vladimir Medinsky, who has denied Ukraine's right to exist. 

Zelenskyy said the Ukrainian delegation included his foreign minister, military and intelligence chiefs and also senior officials from his office.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who himself proposed the talks, has spurned Zelenskyy's invitation to hold a face-to-face meeting.

Russia has said the talks are due to start in the second half of the day at Turkey's request.

Ahead of the potential talks, Russia's Defense Ministry announced that Russian troops had seized two more villages in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region as Moscow pushes on with its full-scale invasion of its neighbor.

China has said it is ready to "expand practical cooperation" with the Russian army, with ties between Beijing and Moscow growing closer in recent years even after the Kremlin launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

In response to a question in social media about the effect on bilateral military ties of President Xi Jinping's recent visit to Moscow for a World War II Victory Day parade, the Chinese Defense Ministry said the relationship was "operating at a high level."

"The Chinese military stands ready to work with the Russian side to further deepen strategic mutual trust, step up strategic communication, and expand practical cooperation," ministry spokesman Jiang Bin posted to social media platform WeChat.   

The moves would "enrich the content of China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era" and "contribute to maintaining and strengthening global strategic stability."

Xi's visit to Russia last week provoked anger among Kyiv's allies, who accuse Beijing of covertly siding with Moscow in its war of aggression.

Beijing has always insisted on its neutral attitude to the conflict.   

France's foreign minister has said that an "unconditional ceasefire" must precede peace talks between Russia and Ukraine if negotiations are not to fail as they did in 2022.

Speaking about potential negotiations between the two sides in Turkey on Thursday, Jean-Noel Barrot said, "The best we can hope for in these technical discussions is indeed a ceasefire, an immediate, unconditional ceasefire, that would allow for proper peace negotiation."  

He made his remarks at an informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Turkey.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday that Washington was willing to consider "virtually any mechanism" to reach a lasting end to the war in Ukraine.

Speaking at an informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Antalya, Turkey, Rubio said, "Obviously, we're in a very difficult spot right now, and we hope that we can find the steps forward that provide for the end of this war in a negotiated way and the prevention of any war in the future."  

"So a lot of work. We remain committed to that. Obviously, like everyone else, impatient, we want to see it happen, but it's difficult. But you know, hopefully progress will be made here soon," he added.

Speaking of US President Donald Trump — whose campaign pledge was to bring about peace in Ukraine within 24 hours of taking office in January —, Rubio said, "He's open to virtually any mechanism that gets us to a just, enduring and lasting peace, and that's what he wants to see." 

The comments come ahead of potential direct talks between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul on ending the war, triggered by Moscow's full-scale invasion of its neighbor in February 2022.

Trump, who is currently on a Gulf tour, has said he would attend the talks on Friday "if it is appropriate."

 "But we have people right now negotiating, I just hope Russia and Ukraine are able to do something. It has to stop," he said.