A Ukrainian delegation led by president Volodymyr Zelenskyy and a delegation from Russia arrived in Turkey on Thursday for peace talks, as the war continues to rage three years after it began. Even as the two countries are set to sit across the table from each other, Russia on Thursday claimed it has captured two villages in eastern Ukraine.The war of words was also on right before the talks began, with Ukraine’s president Zelenskyy criticising Russia’s Putin for not coming to Turkey and instead sending what he called a “decorative” delegation. “We need to understand the level of the Russian delegation and what their mandate is, if they are capable of making any decisions themselves,” Zelenskyy said as he arrived at the airport, adding, “From what we see, it looks more like a dummy.”Russia was quick to hit back, labelling Zelenskyy a “clown” and a “loser.” “Who uses the word ‘dummy’? A clown? A loser? Someone with no education whatsoever,” said foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova at a weekly briefing from Moscow.Vladimir Medinsky, a close aide to president Putin, will lead the Russian delegation, which will also include three other senior officials, according to the Kremlin. In addition, Putin has appointed four junior-level officials as “experts” for the peace talks in Istanbul.Zelenskyy had publicly challenged Putin to meet him in person in Turkey to discuss ending the war. Zelenskyy had said he would travel to Turkey and wait for Putin to show up. US president Donald Trump, meanwhile said he was not surprised that Putin chose not to attend the talks. Trump had earlier called for a face-to-face meeting between the two leaders but appeared unfazed by Putin’s absence.“I didn’t think it was possible for Putin to go if I’m not there,” Trump told reporters during a business roundtable in Doha, Qatar. Ukrainian officials say Zelenskyy remains firm on meeting only with Putin and that he will sit at the table only with Putin. It is still unclear when and where the Ukrainian and Russian delegations might hold talks, but more clarity is expected after Zelenskyy meets Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan. In the lead-up to the talks, Ukraine and its European allies had called on Russia to accept an unconditional 30-day ceasefire. Kremlin did not accept the proposal and instead suggested direct talks between the two countries. Russian officials have described Thursday’s talks as a “restart” of the negotiations that were held in Istanbul during the early stages of the war in 2022 but collapsed soon after.
