Russian President Vladimir Putin is unlikely to come to the talks in Istanbul, even if Ukraine were ready to meet. Such a trip would be seen as a concession that goes against the Kremlin's desire to maintain control over the initiative.
This was stated by political analyst Volodymyr Horbach on the Espresso TV channel.
"Going to meet with Zelensky means for Putin to lose the initiative. And the entire logic of the Kremlin's actions is an attempt to control not only the front, but also the negotiation process. He will not go, because it would look like a transfer of power to Ukraine," Gorbach noted.
According to the analyst, Putin will instead continue to try to undermine Ukraine's internal unity and put pressure on Western partners, using "horror stories" about the supposed capabilities of the Russian army.
"This could be either a demonstration of fake new weapons or some other hybrid manipulation. Putin wants to intimidate the West so that they force Ukraine to accept Moscow's conditions," Gorbach added.
He emphasized that the current confrontation between Ukraine and Russia has long since turned into a war of ultimatums.
“Each side states its conditions, but is not ready to make concessions. Ultimatum after ultimatum — and so on in a circle. This is a bad game, and it can go on for a long time,” the expert believes.
Gorbach also doubts the sincerity of Putin's statements about a ceasefire.
"If he didn't even use his own ideas for a ceasefire on Easter and May 9, he's unlikely to do so now. He can declare a ceasefire and then simply lie that it's not Russia that's firing, but Ukraine," the analyst concluded.
