Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to abstain from attending peace talks with Ukraine in Istanbul proves he never took the process seriously, a former Tory MP and British Army officer has said.
Tobias Ellwood, now a Distinguished Fellow with the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), also believes Putin’s ultimate goal – of conquering the whole of Ukraine – has not changed in the least since 2022.
Mr Ellwood was commenting after the Kremlin revealed the Russian delegation will be led by Vladimir Medinsky, with Putin not even travelling. And Mr Ellwood dismissed the move as little more than a smokescreen, telling Express.co.uk: “I’ve heard of this guy – an aide to the president.
So Putin is not taking this seriously,” referring to Mr Medinsky, who will once again lead Russia’s delegation when talks resume on May 15. He said: “It’s a bit like a general sending in their aide-de-camp instead of going themselves.”
