Moscow Mocks Zelensky as ‘Clown’ in Heated Clash Over Istanbul Talks

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova on Thursday called President Volodymyr Zelensky a “clown” and “failure” after the latter’s criticisms of the Russian delegation.

Speaking to reporters near the plane after landing in Ankara earlier on Thursday, Zelensky referred to the Russian negotiators as a “sham delegation” after Moscow dispatched four lower-level officials for the talks initiated by Moscow itself.

Zakharova defended the Russian delegation, which consists of multiple deputy ministers without any top officials, by calling them “distinguished people, professionals.”

“He had no right to speak that way. These are distinguished people, professionals. And he is a clown, a failure, and a man with an unknown education,” Zakharova said, adding that the talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul have been postponed to the afternoon at the request of the Turkish side.

“Russia has come to Istanbul for serious negotiations with Ukraine. The goal is to address the root causes of the conflict,” she added.

Ukraine and Russia are set to hold their first direct peace talks in over three years on Thursday, in Istanbul, Turkey. But hopes for a breakthrough are low as the two sides remain deeply divided, and Russian President Vladimir Putin has decided not to attend.

He opted instead to send a lower-level team headed up by a hardline aide who oversaw the failed peace talks in March 2022 in the first weeks of Russia’s invasion.

Other Topics of Interest

‘Saving Kyiv Regime Is Not Our Plan’: Putin Rejects Ukraine Proposal To Limit Long-Range Strikes

Speaking to a Russian state television interviewer, Putin said Ukraine had suggested a mutual halt to long-range strikes as a step toward de-escalation.

Putin, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, and Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov – who previously led talks with the US – were not included.

On Wednesday, Zelensky called Putin’s absence a sign that Russia is not serious about ending the war. “This is his war,” Zelensky said Tuesday. “Therefore, the negotiations should be with him.”

US President Donald Trump earlier said he would consider attending the talks if Putin did. “If we could end the war, I’d be thinking about that,” he said.

On Thursday, as a Russian delegation arrived in Istanbul for the talks without Putin, Trump said he could still travel to Turkey if the first direct peace talks between Russia and Ukraine make progress.

“You know, if something happened, I’d go on Friday,” Trump said in Qatar.