Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s statement expressing readiness for a personal meeting with the head of the aggressor state in Istanbul has placed Vladimir Putin in a zugzwang situation, where any move he makes will only worsen his position.
Former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Volodymyr Ohryzko said this during an interview on Radio NV, Ukrinform reports.
“I believe Putin is now in the worst possible situation. On the one hand, he has nothing to tell his population if he ends the war, because none of the goals he declared when launching the so-called ‘special military operation’ have been achieved. […] And externally, he’s facing a clear demand from our Western partners, from Ukraine, and – notably – from Trump: either you agree [to a ceasefire], or you’ll be hit with sanctions that will really hurt,” the diplomat said.
According to Ohryzko, Zelensky’s response to Putin’s proposal for direct talks in Istanbul was immediate and strong.
“He [Zelensky] delivered a blow to the gut, and now, as you can see, time has passed and there’s still no reaction from Moscow. […] What we hear in return is silence, because, again, given the current situation, Putin can do neither one thing nor the other – every next step will be worse than the last. In chess, that’s called zugzwang,” Ohryzko said.
Commenting on why he believes Putin cannot come to Istanbul and meet with Zelensky on May 15, Ohryzko stressed that the Kremlin leader would be forced to answer a direct question about whether he supports a ceasefire.
“If he [Putin] says ‘yes,’ and then follows with the word ‘but,’ the entire world will understand that he is, in fact, rejecting the ceasefire,” the diplomat said.
On May 10, Ukraine and its allies – France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Poland – proposed a 30-day unconditional ceasefire. If Russia refuses, the allies intend to impose harsher sanctions.
Later, Putin suggested resuming direct negotiations with Ukraine “at the point where they were interrupted” in 2022 – in Istanbul on May 15.
Zelensky confirmed Ukraine’s readiness to meet with Russian representatives, provided there is a complete ceasefire starting May 12. He also stated he would personally be waiting for Putin in Turkey on May 15.
On May 12, German government spokesperson Stefan Kornelius said that if Russia does not accept the ceasefire offer by the end of Monday, Ukraine’s partners will follow through on their sanctions threat.
Source: Zelensky's willingness to meet in Istanbul puts Putin in zugzwang – diplomat
