Zelenskyi will only negotiate with Putin in Istanbul, an aide says. Europe awaits the Turkey summit to push the U.S. on Russian sanctions, Bloomberg News says. A global aviation council rules Russia responsible for downing of flight MH17.
Zelenskyi will only negotiate with Putin in Istanbul, aide says
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi will meet only with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Istanbul for direct talks on the war, advisor to the head of the Office of the Ukrainian President, Mykhailo Podolyak told YouTube show The Breakfast Show on Tuesday.
When asked whether Zelenskyi will meet any other Russian representative in Istanbul if Putin doesn’t show up, Podolyak said: “No, of course not, that’s not an [appropriate] format.”
He added that neither Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky, nor Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, nor Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has powers to “make decisions” or “discuss fundamental issues.”
“Only Putin can make a decision to continue or stop the war. There is also his inner circle likely discussing who else they should kill. But it’s definitely not Medinsky, Lavrov or Shoigu,” Podolyak said.
Europe awaits Turkey summit to push U.S. on Russian sanctions, Bloomberg News says
European leaders are ready to wait until after a possible meeting between Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Russia’s Vladimir Putin in Turkey before pushing the US to announce fresh sanctions on Moscow, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg News. The paragraphs below are quoted from the article.
Following conversations between US and European officials on Monday, it was clear the American side wanted to allow an opportunity for talks between Russia and Ukraine to take place on Thursday before increasing pressure on Putin, according to the people, who asked not to be identified discussing private deliberations.
If Putin declines the meeting with Zelenskiy or Russia doesn’t agree to an immediate and unconditional ceasefire on Thursday, European leaders will urge US President Donald Trump to follow through with his threat to sanction Moscow, they added. So far the Kremlin hasn’t said if Putin will attend.
The Trump administration has prepared options for the president to put more economic pressure on Russia should he choose to do so. In conversations between US and European officials on Monday, the American side was unclear on whether it was still ready to impose sanctions on Russia if attacks continued this week, or what it would do if Putin refuses to meet with Zelenskiy and keeps attacking Ukraine, the European officials said.
Global aviation council rules Russia responsible for downing of flight MH17
The Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) on Monday found Russia responsible for shooting down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over Ukraine in July 2014. Russia has thus violated the Convention on International Civil Aviation, known as the Chicago Convention, the aviation body said.
“The decision was reached on Monday by a vote among the members of the ICAO Council. A large majority of the Council members voted in favour of the Netherlands’ and Australia’s position,” the Dutch Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Monday.
The governments of Australia and the Netherlands said the council would in the coming weeks consider what form of reparation was in order.
“In that context the Netherlands and Australia are requesting that the ICAO Council order the Russian Federation to enter into negotiations with the Netherlands and Australia, and that the Council facilitate this process. The latter is important in order to ensure that the negotiations are conducted in good faith and according to specific timelines, and that they will yield actual results,” the statement reads.
Russia withdrew from ICAO proceedings in 2024.
