Behind the diplomatic curtain: Kremlin plays for the suspense while the world is waiting for Putin to meet Zelensky

President Vladimir Putin does not intend to accept the offer of Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky to meet head-on in Istanbul, sources of the Russian government and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and people close to the Kremlin told Moscow Times.

With only hours before the first direct contact between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations in three years, the secret of the Kremlin surrounding Putin’s travel plans underlines the reluctance of Moscow.

Although sources have declared that Putin does not consider Zelensky as his equal and will only accept him to meet him in the event of “public capitulation”, he can only refuse the challenge because of the call of American president Donald Trump to that the Russian chief engages with his opponent.

All sources of Moscow Times have spoken on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the question.

Why the Kremlin keeps Putin’s plans secret

Zelensky shot the glove In Putin on Sunday, a few hours after the Russian chief ignored the call defended by western Ukraine for a 30-day ceasefire and rather propose Repeat direct talks with Kyiv in Istanbul.

With less than 24 hours before Thursday’s talks, Moscow has still not confirmed who will represent Russia at the negotiating table.

On Wednesday, aid to Putin’s foreign policy, Yury Ushakov, said that the Russian delegation planned to discuss political and technical issues.

This silence is a deliberate tactic designed to keep Kyiv And its allies On the edge and allowing a last -minute change of plans, said former Russian diplomat Boris Bondarev in Moscow Times.

Russian diplomacy largely follows the same protocols it has made in the Soviet era, with all high -level talks meticulously prepared in advance.

Consequently, spontaneous negotiations on the terms of the opponent – in particular when Russia should hold over – are out of the question, said a government official, a current diplomat and an initiate of the Kremlin in Moscow Times.

“This is not how we do things. First, the named negotiators make all the bases and prepare the documents. It is only then that the president intervenes to discuss the conditions agreed in advance,” said a source.

“Our chef does not like to put himself pressure. This is a well -known fact,” added a former senior Kremlin.

In addition, Moscow does not recognize Zelensky as a legitimate negotiation partner.

Russian propaganda and Putin himself said that Zelensky was illegitimate, which means that Moscow can only sign a peace agreement with a new Ukrainian president or with the management of the Ukrainian parliament.

Russia has tried several times to discredit the Ukrainian chief due to the challenge of Zelensky in the face of the invasion of Russia, which is a particular irritant for Moscow, as Moscow Times has already done so reported.

While Zelensky’s mandate explained technically in 2024, Ukraine cannot hold presidential elections under martial law, which it imposed due to the large -scale invasion of Russia.

“Zelensky is only suitable to sign a capitulation. Period,” said a current Russian diplomat.

Trump’s roadblock

The main obstacle preventing Putin from publicly reprimanding Zelensky seems to be Trump, who urged Moscow to pursue a ceasefire and subject to He can go to Turkey himself if Putin attends.

“Our declaration on the resumption of talks in Istanbul has never mentioned the participation of our president. In recent weeks, we have been in intensive communication with Washington, and in recent days, he has reached a fever argument. My colleagues are trying to find a compromise that will not oppose Trump,” said an official connected to the Kremlin.

“If Trump had to personally invite Putin, it would change everything. But Zelensky is not the equal of Putin, and he does not want to speak to him face to face. After the Ultimatums of Zelensky, accepting to meet would resemble the decline and lose his face,” said Bondarev.

However, he noted that a visit from Putin to Istanbul, although unlikely, cannot be excluded.

A game of nerves and optics

The Kremlin weighs several options because it drags the suspense to know if Putin will attend.

The first would see Putin flying to Turkey – but not to meet Zelensky.

Because Putin “tries not to recognize Zelensky and simply sees him as an indicator of Washington”, he would try to hold a brief summit with Trump in Istanbul, according to a current Russian government official.

The former Kremlin staff member who has become analyst Alexei Chesnakov voiced A similar point of view, claiming that this strategy would allow Putin to demonstrate control and tactical flexibility.

If Putin appears, said Chesnakov, he would send a powerful direct dialogue signal with the United States in the middle of Washington wider with Moscow. Trump, he added, is ready to reorganize his schedule to meet Putin, which makes the event important by default.

“In this case, Zelensky loses the initiative. He will present himself as hysterical and unreliable compared to a compound Putin,” said Chesnakov.

If Putin completely jumps the trip, Zelensky will remain empty -handed, “resembling a racing boy,” said Chesnakov.

“Russia has solid arguments to justify Putin who is not going. The leaders only meet when there is a clear program and prior decisions.

What does Putin really want?

Putin’s main objective is to convince Trump that Russia is really interested in peace, which is why he proposed to send a delegation to Istanbul and take back the talks from which they had stopped in 2022, explain Alexander Gabuev, director of Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center in Berlin.

“The Kremlin tries to bring Trump to negotiate a favorable affair for Moscow or to conclude that peace is inaccessible and blame Kyiv and its European allies. In this way, the war in Ukraine would no longer be an American priority.

The problem is that Putin has not abandoned its maximalist requests for the war. He still wants to consolidate the territorial gains of Russia, trigger a change of diet in kyiv and considerably reduce the size of the military in Ukraine.

These objectives are unacceptable to Washington and to win.

“This is where Putin’s strategy collapses. He does not get what he needs Trump to achieve his domestic goals. And if diplomacy fails, he will try to put him on the battlefield,” concluded Gabuev.

What can ultimately travel any chance of American-Russia rapprochement, said former diplomat Bondarev is the deeper structural conflict between the two nations as a global powers.

“More specifically, the natural confrontation between the Putin regime and the global interests of America. Putin clearly sees it, even if American rhetoric tries to ignore it,” said Bondarev. “So what type of rapprochement can we even speak? The only acceptable result for Putin is Trump’s capitulation and American retirement in regional power.”