Putin should face consequences for rejecting peace (PM Starmer)

Peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, scheduled to take place in Turkey, did not happen because Russian President Vladimir Putin chose not to attend personally. Instead, Russia sent a lower-level delegation, which frustrated Ukraine and its allies. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was willing to attend only if Putin was also present. Putin's absence was confirmed by Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, who stated Putin had "work meetings" instead of participating in the talks. The Russian delegation was led by aides and deputy ministers, signaling no immediate breakthrough was expected.

U.S. President Donald Trump also did not attend the Turkey talks. Trump has repeatedly emphasized that no progress on peace will occur until he meets directly with Putin. He stated that "nothing is going to happen until Putin and I get together," and indicated that Putin was unwilling to attend the talks without Trump's presence.

Regarding a potential Trump-Putin meeting, the American administration, including Deputy Assistant Sebastian Gorka, expects such a meeting to take place very soon. Gorka said the timing is crucial and that when the moment is right, Trump will sit down with Putin. However, as of mid-May 2025, no formal plans or arrangements have been finalized for this meeting. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also confirmed that the date and venue for a Trump-Putin meeting have not yet been set but suggested discussions might occur after Trump's Middle East tour.

Meanwhile, Ukraine's allies have condemned Putin's refusal to engage in direct peace talks. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer criticized Putin's tactics of delay and bloodshed, insisting that Putin must pay a price for refusing peace. Europe is considering even tougher sanctions on Russia's energy sector as part of the pressure to bring Russia to the negotiating table.

(SR - Source: Euronews/Reuters/Politico/CNBC/Interfax - Illustration: ©Unsplash)