NATO chief criticizes Putin's delegation mistake at Istanbul talks
The Russian leader Vladimir Putin made a significant error by sending a low-level delegation to Istanbul for talks with Ukraine, according to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who spoke upon arriving at the European Political Community (EPC) summit in Tirana.
"The ball is in his court, he needs to be serious about finding peace, and all the pressure is on him. I know him very well from when I was prime minister of the Netherlands, he made a mistake by sending a low-level delegation," noted Rutte during a conversation with journalists before the EPC summit in Albania's capital.
The NATO Secretary General also expressed particular satisfaction with the United States' role in facilitating the discussions between Russia and Ukraine.
"I am happy about the role that the US has taken to unblock the situation," he emphasized.
Earlier on Friday, talks began in Istanbul involving delegations from the US, Ukraine, and Turkey regarding ending the war in Ukraine. This is one of two planned trilateral meetings for the day; discussions are also expected with delegations from Ukraine, Russia, and Turkey.
The Istanbul negotiations were initially presented as potentially groundbreaking for ending the war in Ukraine. However, expectations waned when it became clear that—unlike Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who arrived in Istanbul—neither the Russian leader Vladimir Putin nor US President Donald Trump would participate in the talks.
The security of Europe. The proposal of the French president
The EPC was established in May 2022 as an intergovernmental platform to facilitate the coordination of political and economic initiatives among European states. It was created in response to Russia's full-scale aggression against Ukraine.
In a speech to the European Parliament, French President Emmanuel Macron proposed the establishment of a new European organization designed to offer democratic nations across Europe a platform for collaboration. This initiative would focus on areas such as security and economic cooperation, with particular emphasis on energy, investments, and infrastructure.
