Hopes for peace in Ukraine cool

The mediation exercised by the United States has not served to achieve significant progress or to stop Russian attacks.

When autocrat Vladimir Putin summoned the Ukrainian government to a meeting in Istanbul last Saturday, expectations arose that this would be the first face-to-face meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky since Russia decided to invade the neighboring country and overthrow its legitimate president. So much so that even Donald Trump threatened to join the meeting, with the undisguised intention of claiming political credit for a thaw between Moscow and Kiev.

However, Putin's decision not to travel to Turkey despite personal efforts by Recep Tayyip Erdogan has ultimately dampened the summit and dampened expectations of a peace agreement. Although Zelensky traveled to Istanbul yesterday, he will not lead the delegation negotiating with Kremlin representatives for the first time in three years, as he believes Russia's attitude is "not serious."

Nor are Trump's statements before landing in the United Arab Emirates, lowering expectations for the dialogue brokered by the Turkish president and stating that "nothing will happen" until he meets with Putin, entirely responsible. No peace can be lasting unless it is the result of direct negotiations on equal footing between the two sides in the conflict.

The mediation exercised by the United States, negotiating separately with Russia and Ukraine but accepting Moscow's postulates and demands as a starting point, has not served to achieve significant progress or to halt Russian attacks on the ground, which have even intensified in recent days.