EU Threatens Sanctions on Russia as Peace Talks Stalled in Ukraine War

According to Reuters, Witkoff and Kellogg, who serve as representatives of Trump, will visit Turkey for bilateral discussions involving Russia and Ukraine.

The war in Ukraine is now focused in Istanbul. In this Turkish metropolis, preliminary discussions between Russia and Ukraine might occur on Thursday. This encounter could mark an initial move toward achieving peace. Nonetheless, one should approach with caution concerning the possible extent of these negotiations as they may have limitations. Vladimir Putin hasn't verified his attendance as of now. On the contrary, Kiev guarantees that Zelensky will be present.

The quest to find an ending to the war in Ukraine This was a recurrent objective emphasized by Donald Trump throughout his campaign, which propelled him into the presidency. His emphasis on the significance of the Istanbul meeting is clear from his decision to dispatch two special envoys, Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg, to represent him there.

In the meantime, the European Union continues to be cautious about Vladimir Putin's motives. On Tuesday, German Chancellor Merz cautioned that new sanctions could be imposed on Russia if no advancements are made toward resolving the situation. war in Ukraine at the Istanbul meeting.

Greece Calls on EU to Stand "United" on Ending War in Ukraine

The EU must be at the center of any peace agreement for Ukraine, stated Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Tuesday, as reported by Reuters. The EU needs to remain steadfast together, Mitsotakis stated following his meeting in Berlin with the newly appointed German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz.

Russian Justice Sentences 'Putin's Banker' Oligarch to 14 Years in Absentia

A Moscow court sentenced in absentia on Tuesday Sergei Pugachov , a Russian oligarch who was close to President Vladimir Putin before his presidency and during his first term, to 14 years in prison for corruption. "The court found Sergei Pugachov guilty of embezzlement of funds, using his official position for this purpose, and abuse of power, sentencing him to 14 years in prison," reads the judicial sentence.

As per the inquiry, during 2008 and 2009, while he was the proprietor of Mezhprombank, Pugachov set up a fraudulent network aimed at facilitating corruption. he misappropriated up to 28,700 million rubles, approximately around 1 billion dollars at the time.

In 2010, Pugachov, popularly known as 'Putin's banker', used his position to deliberately bankrupt his own bank, which according to Russian Justice rendered the entity unable to meet its obligations to creditors. Additionally, the court imposed a fine of 800,000 rubles, around 9,900 dollars at the current exchange rate, and deprived him of the right to hold management positions in financial entities for three years, a penalty that will begin at the time of his arrest or extradition to Russia.

In 2011, shortly before Russian authorities issued an international search warrant, Pugachov fled Russia seeking refuge, mainly in France , where he has had nationality since 2009.

The European Union is prepared to impose tougher sanctions on Russia if there is no progress this week towards ending the war in Ukraine. This was the specific content of the warning issued on Tuesday by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz , noting that a fresh set of sanctions was in the works.

We are waiting for Putin's approval, and we concur that should there be no substantial progress this week, we aim to collaborate at the European level to significantly enhance sanction measures, Merz said at a press conference alongside his Greek counterpart.

President Donald Trump's leading representatives, Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg, plans to journey to Istanbul for potential discussions on Thursday regarding ways to conclude Russia's conflict in Ukraine, according to three people privy to the information on Tuesday, as reported by Reuters.

German Chancellor Merz cautioned Russia that if there isn't any advancement by the end of this week toward a ceasefire in Ukraine, additional sanctions will be imposed, as reported recently by Reuters.

China and Brazil have conveyed their optimism that Ukraine and Russia might manage to achieve an agreement enabling the commencement of productive talks, tackling the legitimate interests of all involved parties. This was outlined in a collaborative declaration issued by both nations concerning the potential summit in Istanbul involving the conflicting states, as cited by Reuters.

Following their meeting in Beijing on the same day, a statement was released after discussions between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, declared on Tuesday that she doesn’t think Russia genuinely wants peace in Ukraine, as reported recently by Reuters.

The leaders of China and Brazil have agreed to support direct dialogue between Russia and Ukraine and are confident that it should "begin" as soon as possible, both countries stated in a joint declaration, according to a recent update from Reuters.

The leaders of China, Xi Jinping, and Brazil, Lula da Silva, were in Moscow's Red Square last Friday for the commemoration of the end of World War II, where Russian President Vladimir Putin received around thirty foreign leaders in a demonstration that, despite the aggression in Ukraine, he is not as isolated as the West believes.

The Kremlin rejected on Tuesday the ruling of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) holding Russia responsible for the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in eastern Ukraine in 2014, which claimed the lives of 298 people, reports Efe.

"Our position is well known. Russia did not participate in the investigation of that incident, so we do not accept biased conclusions," said the spokesman for the Russian Presidency, Dmitry Peskov, in his daily telephone press conference.

The ICAO determined yesterday that Russia is responsible for the 2014 downing of flight MH17 and has violated the Convention on International Civil Aviation, or Chicago Convention, which prohibits states from using weapons against civil aircraft in flight.

In this context, the Netherlands and Australia, whose passengers were on board the crashed plane, plan to request that Russia "initiate negotiations with both countries" leading to concrete results.

Kiev stated on Tuesday that the absence of Russian President Vladimir Putin at the negotiations on Thursday in Istanbul, where his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to attend, would be the "definitive signal" that Moscow does not want to end the war.

"I believe that if Vladimir Putin refuses to go to Turkey, it will be the definitive signal that Russia does not want to end this war, that it is not willing to negotiate," reads a statement published on the Ukrainian presidency's website, citing Andriy Yermak, Zelensky's right-hand man, as reported by Afp.

After European allies of Kiev urged a 30-day ceasefire starting on May 12, Vladimir Putin declared on Saturday that he was willing to hold "direct" talks between Russians and Ukrainians on May 15 in Istanbul. Zelensky responded by offering to meet with Putin "in person" in the same city.

Analysts See Unlikely a Meeting Between Putin and Zelensky

The Kremlin has not yet responded to Kiev's offer, but the press and analysts consider it unlikely that Putin will meet with the Ukrainian leader, with whom he was last seen in Paris in December 2019, more than two years before the start of the war, reports Efe.

US President Donald Trump, who arrived in Saudi Arabia today on his first trip abroad, did not rule out traveling to Istanbul if his presence "is useful."

Meanwhile, Peskov ruled out that European countries could participate in the negotiating process, as -he argued- "Europe has taken a total and complete stand in favor of Ukraine."

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