Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky invited former US President Donald Trump to join peace talks in order to bring an end to the current war with Russia. He noted that if Trump comes on board, it will add pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to engage in the negotiations. As stated by Zelensky, he will need to speak directly with Putin for a peace deal since he is the only one who can make decisions.
While the talks for peace will take place on Thursday in Istanbul, Turkey, it is yet to be seen if Putin would be present there. Kremlin official Dmitry Peskov did not promise anything in that regard. Contrarily, Trump unexpectedly signaled on Tuesday that he might go for the meeting at Turkey while his Middle East visit. The decision was received by Ukraine positively.
Zelensky also added that he and Turkish President Erdogan will remain in Ankara to wait for the talks, but if Putin wishes to travel to Istanbul, they are still prepared to engage in the talks. This should deter Russia from asserting that Putin is willing to talk but there is an issue with the position.
In this regard, Ukraine's European partners are also piling pressure on Russia. They proposed Russia a 30-day ceasefire in early March, which has already been accepted by Ukraine. If Russia does not negotiate or agree to the ceasefire, European leaders have threatened to impose new and more stringent sanctions. No new sanctions have been announced as of Tuesday afternoon, however.
In this case, global diplomacy is getting more complex. Who is going to occupy the negotiating table, whether or not Putin is prepared at all, and how successful Trump's involvement will be - these are now the focal points of global politics.
