It was a weekend of diplomatic statements on the war in Ukraine.
Initially, European leaders put together in Kyiv on Saturday with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to put pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin for a ceasefire. Then, after midnight, the Kremlin leader emerged in Moscow to reveal a proposition for talks in Istanbul, Turkey.
If both Putin and Zelenskyy take a seat with each other, it would be a very first in the 3-year-old war.
Secret occasions that have actually formed efforts to end the war considering that Russia attacked Ukraine on February 24, 2022: February 28, 2022: Ukrainian and Russian delegations fulfill in surrounding Belarus for the very first time after the intrusion. Talks continue over the next 2 weeks, however no obvious contracts emerge besides a choice to establish humanitarian passages for civilians.
March 21, 2022: Zelenskyy requires direct talks with Putin however is rebuffed by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. A day later on, Zelenskyy states he is prepared to talk about a dedication for Ukraine to not to look for NATO subscription in exchange for a ceasefire, the withdrawal of Russian soldiers and an assurance of Ukraine’s security.
March 29, 2022: Talks start in Istanbul, Turkey, with Moscow stating it wants to “basically cut down” military activity near Kyiv and the northern city of Chernihiv, while Ukraine stated it was open to going over neutral status for Ukraine if its security is backed by other countries.
April 7, 2022: Lavrov turns down a Ukrainian peace proposition as “undesirable.” He states Kyiv has actually strolled back on an arrangement to excuse the Crimean Peninsula from broader Ukrainian security warranties. Russia unlawfully annexed Crimea in 2014.
April 26, 2022: U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres sees Russia to talk about ending the war.
Might 13, 2022: U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin calls his Russian equivalent, Sergei Shoigu, in their very first contact considering that before the start of the war.
July 22, 2022: Russia and Ukraine, with mediation by Turkey and the U.N., settle on an offer to unclog materials of grain stuck in Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, ending a standoff that threatened worldwide food security. The offer ends a year later on.
September 22, 2022: Zelenskyy addresses the U.N. General Assembly, setting out 5 “nonnegotiable” conditions, consisting of a “just penalty” for Russia.
September 30, 2022: Russia unlawfully annexes the Ukrainian areas of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, although it does not completely manage any of them. Ukraine reacts by using to sign up with NATO and by enacting a decree that states settlements with Putin “difficult.
November 15, 2022: Zelenskyy reveals a 10-point peace strategy at the G20 top in Bali.
June 25, 2023: Authorities from 15 nations, consisting of the U.S., the European Union, India, Brazil, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey fulfill in Copenhagen, Denmark, to talk about Zelenskyy’s peace strategy.
August 5, 2023: 2 days of conversations on the war start in Saudi Arabia with delegates from 40 nations, however not Russia. No joint declarations are provided.
October 28, 2023: Delegates from 65 nations fulfill in Malta to continue talks on Zelenskyy’s peace strategy. Russia, which has actually dismissed the talks, was not welcomed.
June 15, 2024: Agents of 92 countries fulfill in Nidwalden, Switzerland, to talk about Ukraine’s peace strategy. Regardless of the growing variety of delegates, an agreement stays evasive. The top’s last declaration is backed by many– although not all– individuals.
December 7, 2024: U.S. President-elect Donald Trump takes a trip to Paris and fulfills Zelenskyy and other European leaders.
February 12, 2025: Trump and Putin speak straight through telephone and accept start settlements on ending Ukraine war in a call that quickly ended a three-year U.S.-led effort to separate Putin over Ukraine.
February 18, 2025: Russian and U.S. authorities, consisting of Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, fulfill in Saudi Arabia and accept pursue ending the war, in addition to bring back bilateral ties. Ukrainian authorities are not welcomed.
February 28, 2025: Zelenskyy meets Trump, Rubio and Vice President JD Vance in the White Home however stress break out in the Oval Workplace and a proposed minerals deal in between the nations is left anonymous.
March 11, 2025: U.S. and Ukrainian authorities fulfill in Saudi Arabia, with American authorities advancing a prepare for a 30-day ceasefire. Kyiv accepts the proposed truce.
March 13, 2025: Putin successfully turns down the ceasefire strategy, mentioning specific problems still need to be fixed. He likewise meets U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow. Witkoff would take a trip to Russia 2 more times in April to fulfill Putin.
March 18, 2025: A proposition is advanced for a short-term stop on strikes on energy facilities. Both sides accept the strategy, however quickly implicate each other of offenses, and the procedure later on ends.
April 19, 2025: Putin reveals a 30-hour ceasefire to mark the Easter vacation, although attacks continue throughout Ukraine.
April 28, 2025: The Kremlin states a unilateral 72-hour ceasefire beginning Might 8 to mark Russia’s Triumph Day commemorating the defeat of Nazi Germany in The Second World War. Kyiv does not concur, choosing a 30-day truce proposed by U.S. authorities. Both sides implicate each other of breaching it.
Might 10, 2025: French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk consult with Zelenskyy in Kyiv and prompt Russia to enact a 30-day truce beginning Might 12.
Might 11, 2025: Putin proposes rebooting direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on May 15, “without prerequisites,” however does not accept the 30-day ceasefire Zelenskyy obstacles Putin to fulfill personally in Turkey.
Might 12, 2025: Trump states he is “considering flying over” to Turkey for the talks after his see to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates however later on states Rubio and other U.S. authorities will go.
May 13, 2025: Ukrainian governmental advisor Mykhailo Podolyak states Zelenskyy will not consult with any agent of Russia in Turkey other than for Putin. Zelenskyy states he and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will wait on Putin in Ankara, including: “If Putin does not show up and plays video games, it is the last point that he does not wish to end the war.”