Istanbul: Russia and Ukraine exchanged accusations on Thursday ahead of the start of peace negotiations hosted by Turkey in Istanbul. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who arrived in Ankara today to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, confirmed that Ukraine had sent a high-level delegation to the negotiations and criticized Russia, saying, “The level of the Russian delegation is almost deceptive.”

According to National Iraqi News Agency, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in a press statement that “Zelenskyy is a pathetic person, led by Britain.” Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova responded to this statement, describing Zelenskyy as a “clown” and a “failure.”

In response, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Georgy Tekhy said, “Instead of Putin visiting Turkey and holding serious talks with Zelensky to end the war and establish peace, Russia is directing personal insults at the Ukrainian President.” Tikhy added, “This is not the first time the Russian Foreign Ministry has become an object of ridicule. Furthermore, the delegation in Turkey is not led by the Russian Foreign Ministry, and their job is to bark from Moscow.”

On November 11, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed resuming direct negotiations with Ukraine without preconditions in Istanbul, after a three-year hiatus, asking Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to host the new round. Erdogan, for his part, affirmed Turkey’s readiness to host negotiations to achieve a just and lasting peace. The Ukrainian government welcomed the move, while the international community’s attention is focused on the meetings hosted by Istanbul.

It is noteworthy that Russia has been launching a military attack on its neighbor, Ukraine, since February 24, 2022, and is stipulating that ending the attack requires Kyiv to abandon its membership in Western military entities, which Kyiv considers “interference” in its affairs.