Brazil: Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has pledged to personally urge Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend peace negotiations with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in what could mark the first face-to-face meeting between the two leaders since 2022.
Speaking at a press conference in Beijing, Lula said he would attempt to speak with Putin during a scheduled stop in Moscow following a regional forum in China. Lula stated that, “I’ll try to talk to Putin. It costs me nothing to say, ‘hey, comrade Putin, go to Istanbul and negotiate, dammit.’”
The potential summit, set to take place in Istanbul, Turkiye’s commercial capital, is drawing international attention. It would be the first direct peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow since shortly after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine over three years ago.
Lula’s comments followed a joint statement issued by Brazil and China, calling for direct negotiations as the only way to end the conflict.
Earlier, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba had appealed to Brazil to leverage its ties with Russia to push for a face-to-face dialogue. Zelenskyy himself challenged Putin to attend the meeting, warning that his absence would signal Moscow’s lack of interest in pursuing peace.
The Ukrainian leader also urged U.S. President Donald Trump currently on a tour of Middle Eastern nations, to travel to Turkiye and take part in the negotiations. Trump, in turn, announced that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio would represent Washington in Istanbul.
The Kremlin has yet to confirm whether Putin will attend the summit in person, stating only that a Russian delegation will be present. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Moscow is prepared for serious negotiations but expressed scepticism over Kyiv’s willingness to engage.
The diplomatic push marks a rare moment of momentum in the prolonged conflict, with eyes now on Istanbul to see if a breakthrough in dialogue can be achieved.
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