Egypt Daily News – The Financial Times reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin refused to discuss the peace settlement plan for the conflict in Ukraine, which was proposed by U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff. The Financial Times stated: “Last Thursday, senior Russian officials informed Steve Witkoff, the special envoy of U.S. President Donald Trump, that Putin does not wish to discuss the 22-point peace plan prepared by Witkoff with the participation of Ukraine and Europe.”
According to the newspaper, Witkoff postponed his meeting with the Russian president after the latter rejected discussing the peace plan. A source noted that the meeting between the two countries’ representatives had not been previously scheduled.
Last Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed the possibility of “direct talks without preconditions” with Ukraine in Istanbul on May 15, stressing that Russia has never refused to engage in dialogue with the Ukrainian side. Putin did not rule out that negotiations could lead to an agreement on a ceasefire.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that the goal of the proposed negotiations with Ukraine is to address the root causes of the conflict and to ensure Russia’s interests, affirming that Russia is seriously seeking ways to achieve a long-term peaceful resolution.
On Friday morning, a meeting was held between the United States, Ukraine, and Turkey.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, during the opening of the talks, said that the first meeting between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in three years is an opportunity that should be valued, as each day of the conflict results in more casualties.
For his part, Russian presidential aide and head of the Russian delegation to the talks with Ukraine, Vladimir Medinsky, told reporters after the talks in Istanbul, “In the coming days, there will be a large-scale exchange of one thousand prisoners for one thousand prisoners from Ukraine.”
The head of the Russian delegation explained that Moscow and Kyiv have agreed to present their respective visions for a ceasefire in the near future.
