It was lie: Journalist breaks down why Trump pressured Zelenskyy to accept Putin’s Turkey talks offer

He said this on Espreso TV.

“One important thing needs to be clear: those talks in Turkey wouldn’t have happened if Trump hadn’t backed them. And he supported them for only one reason — to prove that only he could solve the issue. He wanted Ukrainians to go to Turkey not because there was a real chance for peace, but to show there wasn’t. That’s why he pushed for the meeting. Trump wanted to show again that Zelenskyy ‘has no trump cards.’ It was deception. He pressured Zelenskyy to send a delegation just to trick him — and then claim that only he could make a deal with Putin,” Portnikov said.

The journalist stressed that Trump’s main goal is for everyone to accept whatever deal he makes with Putin.

“Basically, Trump wants to negotiate with Putin himself — and expects everyone else to fall in line because he thinks no one else can handle the Russian leader. That’s the whole point. That’s what those Turkey talks were really about,” he added.

Negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul

In his late-night address on May 11, Russian leader Vladimir Putin said he was ready for direct talks with Ukraine in Turkey, but rejected the idea of a 30-day ceasefire.

On May 12, the German government warned that if Russia didn’t agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine by the end of the day, European partners would begin preparing new sanctions. In response, the Kremlin said ultimatums against Russia were unacceptable.

Advisor to the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Mykhailo Podolyak, stated that on May 15 in Turkey, Volodymyr Zelenskyy would meet only with Vladimir Putin, not with any other representative of the Russian Federation. Later, President Zelenskyy confirmed he would personally travel to Turkey for the talks with Putin.

On the evening of May 14, Russia announced the makeup of its delegation for talks with Ukraine in Istanbul, led by the Russian leader’s aide, Vladimir Medinsky.

Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov later said that Vladimir Putin would not take part in the talks. In the end, Putin did not show up, and Zelenskyy flew to Albania after meeting with Erdogan in Ankara.

On May 16, a trilateral meeting was held in Istanbul between the delegations of Ukraine, the United States, and Turkey. This was followed by talks between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations. According to Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, the parties discussed a prisoner exchange based on a "1,000-for-1,000" formula, the ceasefire issue, and the possibility of a meeting between Presidents Zelenskyy and Putin.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said a meeting between Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was possible, but only as a “result of work” after agreements are reached.