Russian President Vladimir Putin will not be attending the high-stakes meeting scheduled to be in Turkey this week that will focus on resolving the ongoing three-year war in Ukraine. This came as several British military experts claimed that Putin is a "dead man walking" who is severely ill and rarely steps out of the Kremlin these days.
Putin had suggested holding direct talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Istanbul, his name does not feature in the list of Russian delegates attending the negotiations, which was released by the Kremlin on Wednesday, according to the BBC. Kremlin did not give any reason for the Russian President not attending the meeting.
Putin's Absence Raises Eyebrows
Zelensky, who hasn't had a meeting with Putin in person since 2019, is scheduled to be in Istanbul for Thursday's negotiations. He will be accompanied by a senior U.S. delegation headed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
President Donald Trump, who is currently on a trip to the Middle East, is also not likely to take part in the high-stakes meeting, despite having suggested earlier this week that he might attend.
The Russia's delegation will be led by Vladimir Medinsky, a senior advisor to President Putin, Kremlin announced on Wednesday.
On Sunday, Putin—who launched the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022—proposed that Russia and Ukraine hold direct talks "without pre-conditions" in Istanbul, Turkey's biggest city.
Shortly after the suggestion was made public, Trump urged Zelensky to accept Putin's offer.
"Ukraine should agree to this, IMMEDIATELY," Trump posted on Truth Social Sunday. "At least they will be able to determine whether or not a deal is possible, and if it is not, European leaders, and the U.S., will know where everything stands, and can proceed accordingly!"
"HAVE THE MEETING, NOW!!!." the president added.
That same day, Zelensky announced that he would "be waiting for Putin in Türkiye on Thursday. Personally."
Hopes of Peace Amid Growing Concerns over Putin's Health
Trump, who promised during his 2024 campaign to quickly bring an end to the deadliest war in Europe since World War II, remains hopeful about the upcoming talks. "I think we're having some pretty good news coming out of there today and maybe tomorrow and maybe Friday, frankly," he said in Qatar on Wednesday. "But we'll see about that."
However, amid all the hopes concerns about Putin's health have grown. Concerns about the declining health of Putin, 72, have circulated for years as he grows older, and now experts claim that the brutal war in Ukraine has drained much of his remaining strength.
Colonel Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, former head of the UK's Joint Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Regiment, shared with the Mirror, "There are analysts, people who know better than I, who believe Putin is now a dead man walking, a spent force whose war in Ukraine will cause his end."
Bruce Jones, one of the UK's leading analysts of Russia, said: "Things never end democratically in Russia and the situation is bad for Putin. He has had people killed for years and some in his military have already been dealt with in such a way - he knows the way this goes for a leader in Moscow who is not making good decisions. So he is probably right to be paranoid."
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said on Wednesday that he would try to urge Putin to take part in the discussions.
Lula has maintained strong ties with Putin even after Russia's invasion of Ukraine—a stance that has strained ties with Kyiv and drawn concern from Western nations.
