'How Trump Fumbled the Ukraine Peace Talks in Istanbul and Emboldened Putin - Yet Again'
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Despite all the talk of peace, Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine continues. In what now appears to be a regular feature of these bi-weekly updates, the time in between has yet again been marked by another mass missile and drone attack on Kyiv.
Two people were killed, and eight others injured, including four children, overnight on May 7 - just before another sham Russian "ceasefire" came into effect to protect Vladimir Putin from the humiliation of having to cancel his Victory Day parade in Moscow two days later.
Yet the peace process stumbles on, and this week all eyes were on Istanbul.
The 'Peace' Talks
The lead up looked promising - Ukraine, Europe, and the United States were demanding, with one voice, that Russia agree to a full, 30-day ceasefire.
Granted, Putin had already rebuffed them, and instead proposed direct talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul, but the messaging from the West seemed to be united and in step.
And then Donald Trump blew it. Again.
Trump's 'Devastatingly Incompetent' Attempts at Negotiating an End to the Ukraine War
In his latest dispatch from Kyiv, Chris York details how Trump's 'Art of the Deal' just isn't working
Chris York
Volodymyr Zelensky had already called Putin's bluff, responding immediately to the Russian president's proposed talks by saying he'd be there and expected to see Putin there as well.
The Kremlin, caught off guard, responded with silence as they formulated a plan to get out of the situation they'd largely created.
Putin was never going to show up on the same stage as Zelensky - in his eyes, this would legitimise a Ukrainian president that he has always insisted is illegitimate.
So in his place, he sent a low-level delegation with no authority to make any decisions - just the latest in a series of moves that make it very obvious to everyone that Russia has absolutely no interest in peace.
Well, nearly everyone.
'Why Putin's Three-Day May Ceasefire Declaration is Worthless'
The Russian president announced the ceasefire - from 8 to 11 May - without even speaking to Ukraine
Chris York
Instead of recognising the situation for what it is and punishing Russia with those long talked about sanctions, Trump instead gave him a free pass.
"Why would he go if I'm not going?" Trump said before the two delegations had even sat down in the same room.
The appeasement continued after the talks, with Trump saying: "I always felt there can't be a meeting without me because I don't think a deal's going to get through…"
In Ukraine there was disbelief - a now regular feeling driven home time and time again by Trump's apparent total contentment with being played by Putin.
"Putin is mocking him, humiliating him," a Ukrainian lawmaker told me, adding: "What's the point in these negotiations?"
Trump also insisted that "Putin is tired of this whole thing", but the Russian demands laid out in Istanbul suggest anything but.
The Demands
To understand what Russia hoped to achieve in Istanbul, you need to look at who Putin sent.
Russia's delegation was headed by Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky, who also headed the Russian delegation the last time the two sides sat down for talks in the early weeks of the invasion in 2022.
Back then, the situation was vastly different to what it is now - Russia occupied nearly a quarter of Ukraine, its forces were marching on Kyiv, and Western military support consisted of helmets and Javelins, rather than tanks, fighter jets, and long-range missiles.
From this position of strength, Russia demanded Ukraine's effective capitulation - the demilitarisation of the country, great swathes of its land, and a pro...
To support its work, subscribe to the monthly Byline Times print edition, packed with exclusive investigations, news, and analysis.
Help us build the better media Britain deserves
Despite all the talk of peace, Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine continues. In what now appears to be a regular feature of these bi-weekly updates, the time in between has yet again been marked by another mass missile and drone attack on Kyiv.
Two people were killed, and eight others injured, including four children, overnight on May 7 - just before another sham Russian "ceasefire" came into effect to protect Vladimir Putin from the humiliation of having to cancel his Victory Day parade in Moscow two days later.
Yet the peace process stumbles on, and this week all eyes were on Istanbul.
The 'Peace' Talks
The lead up looked promising - Ukraine, Europe, and the United States were demanding, with one voice, that Russia agree to a full, 30-day ceasefire.
Granted, Putin had already rebuffed them, and instead proposed direct talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul, but the messaging from the West seemed to be united and in step.
And then Donald Trump blew it. Again.
Trump's 'Devastatingly Incompetent' Attempts at Negotiating an End to the Ukraine War
In his latest dispatch from Kyiv, Chris York details how Trump's 'Art of the Deal' just isn't working
Chris York
Volodymyr Zelensky had already called Putin's bluff, responding immediately to the Russian president's proposed talks by saying he'd be there and expected to see Putin there as well.
The Kremlin, caught off guard, responded with silence as they formulated a plan to get out of the situation they'd largely created.
Putin was never going to show up on the same stage as Zelensky - in his eyes, this would legitimise a Ukrainian president that he has always insisted is illegitimate.
So in his place, he sent a low-level delegation with no authority to make any decisions - just the latest in a series of moves that make it very obvious to everyone that Russia has absolutely no interest in peace.
Well, nearly everyone.
'Why Putin's Three-Day May Ceasefire Declaration is Worthless'
The Russian president announced the ceasefire - from 8 to 11 May - without even speaking to Ukraine
Chris York
Instead of recognising the situation for what it is and punishing Russia with those long talked about sanctions, Trump instead gave him a free pass.
"Why would he go if I'm not going?" Trump said before the two delegations had even sat down in the same room.
The appeasement continued after the talks, with Trump saying: "I always felt there can't be a meeting without me because I don't think a deal's going to get through…"
In Ukraine there was disbelief - a now regular feeling driven home time and time again by Trump's apparent total contentment with being played by Putin.
"Putin is mocking him, humiliating him," a Ukrainian lawmaker told me, adding: "What's the point in these negotiations?"
Trump also insisted that "Putin is tired of this whole thing", but the Russian demands laid out in Istanbul suggest anything but.
The Demands
To understand what Russia hoped to achieve in Istanbul, you need to look at who Putin sent.
Russia's delegation was headed by Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky, who also headed the Russian delegation the last time the two sides sat down for talks in the early weeks of the invasion in 2022.
Back then, the situation was vastly different to what it is now - Russia occupied nearly a quarter of Ukraine, its forces were marching on Kyiv, and Western military support consisted of helmets and Javelins, rather than tanks, fighter jets, and long-range missiles.
From this position of strength, Russia demanded Ukraine's effective capitulation - the demilitarisation of the country, great swathes of its land, and a pro...
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