While the first direct talks between Moscow and Kiev to end the war were taking place in Turkey, President Volodymyr Zelensky attacked Putin from Tirana, where he attended the European Political Community summit.
He accused the Kremlin chief of playing theater with attempts at negotiations and said he had sent "empty heads" to Istanbul. According to him, if Putin were not afraid to go to Turkey, the war would be over.
"Our number one priority is to have a full, unconditional and just ceasefire. The killings must end and a proper basis for diplomacy must be created. It is the Russians who are making empty claims, it is they who are sending empty-headed people to these meetings. What we see from the Russian delegation is just theater. The world must react, including much stronger sanctions. Ukraine is ready to take all measures to end the war. I call on Putin to give his delegation full authority because we must end the killings."
The war in Ukraine dominated the summit of the European Political Community, with leaders calling for increased pressure on Moscow, which they said was proving it was not committed to peace. In his speech, President Emmanuel Macron reiterated the call for a joint response to Russian aggression, while Britain's Keir Starmer warned Putin that if he does not sit down at the negotiating table, he will pay the price.
"It is important that Ukraine is supported. Russia does not want this ceasefire. It must return to talks itself in 2022. We must insist on a lasting peace in Ukraine. We must move forward. Moldova must be supported from the daily Russian aggression. It must be protected in the elections because we know how much influence it has. A ceasefire in Gaza is also important. Humanity, China, India, Africa, have their eyes on us. Sometimes they do not understand what we are doing with Ukraine. We need peace, diplomacy, unity for our democracy. To be credible, we need a joint response."
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stressed from Tirana the role taken on by Turkey to mediate peace between Ukraine and Russia, but said that the sensitivity of the issue meant that the parties should be encouraged without imposing. Meanwhile, in her statement on the eve of the Summit, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that they were working on a package of new sanctions against Russia to increase pressure on Moscow. (A2 Televizion)
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