Head of Zelenskyy’s office reveals what it will indicate if Putin skips direct talks in Türkiye

Andrii Yermak, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, has said that if Russian ruler Vladimir Putin refuses to attend talks in Türkiye, this will indicate that Russia does not want to end the war.

Source: European Pravda with reference to the Office of the President of Ukraine

Quote from Yermak: "I believe that if Vladimir Putin refuses to come to Türkiye, it will be the final signal that Russia does not want to end this war, that Russia is neither willing nor ready for any negotiations."

Details: Yermak added that as of now, the Russians had not given any response regarding Putin's participation in the talks in Türkiye. Meanwhile, Kyiv confirmed that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is ready and will be in Türkiye.

Yermak reiterated that on 12 May, there was also a very strong and clear statement by US President Donald Trump that he expected both leaders to be present in Türkiye.

Yermak believes that if Russia refuses to negotiate, there should be a strong response from the US and the whole world. In particular, new sanctions against Russia and increased military aid to Ukraine.

He also added that work is continuing on the formation of security guarantees for Ukraine.

"But the most serious and strongest guarantee is the powerful, well-prepared and trained Armed Forces of Ukraine. We are working on this together with our partners. We also expect that the mineral resources agreement with the US will become one of the elements of the future security guarantee system," Yermak said.

Background:

• The day before, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan confirmed to Zelenskyy that he was ready to accept direct talks between Ukraine and Russia.
• According to a Bloomberg report, European leaders are ready to wait until a possible meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin in Türkiye before putting pressure on the US to announce new sanctions.

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