Dramatic developments in Istanbul; Now everything "hangs in the balance"

It was previously announced that the start of negotiations is expected around nine in the morning, but, judging by the posts on social networks, things have become complicated, so now there is a possibility that the delegations of the two countries will sit down at the same table only in the afternoon.

For now, there is no official confirmation that the start of the talks in Istanbul has been postponed, but if numerous other "accompanying" information are taken into account, the conclusion remains that such a development of the situation is indeed possible.

Namely, after it became clear to everyone that Russian President Vladimir Putin is sending a delegation to Istanbul - instead of sitting at the table across from Zelensky himself, and after the drama in Kyiv that arose because of that and Zelensky's near refusal to travel, an unnamed Ukrainian official who is in Turkey told the local media that the Ukrainian president will make a decision on whether to take part in the talks only after a meeting with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan.

Then it was announced on the X social network that the Ukrainian delegation did not even go to Turkey at all, and that the decision on whether they will go at all will be made after the Zelensky-Erdogan talks. The meeting, as stated, starts at 2 p.m.

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Then, US President Donald Trump spoke out and said that there are chances that he will come to Turkey on Friday.

A day earlier, he said it could happen on Thursday, adding that he thought the Russian president would like to appear in Istanbul himself.

On the other hand, the Kremlin did not completely rule out the possibility that maybe, at some point, Putin would change his decision and suddenly travel to Turkey, suggesting that such a change of decision would be caused by Trump's moves, and the American president said today that he will most likely arrive in Istanbul.