The Federation Council called Zelensky's words about his intention to come to Istanbul a comedy.

The statement by the President of Ukraine, Vladimir Zelensky, about his readiness to come to Turkey for talks is a performance and a comedy. This was announced on May 12 by Konstantin Kosachev, Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council.

"This is a pure performance, it's a comedy, because that's exactly how meetings at the highest level, especially in a difficult situation, are definitely not organized. Take an example of Russian-American relations. It is clear that everyone is discussing the prospect of a summit and a meeting between the presidents of Russia and the United States. But how carefully both sides approach this issue," he stressed on the Rossiya 24 TV channel.

Kosachev stressed that the meeting of the leaders of the two countries requires lengthy preparations and the availability of preliminary contacts through several communication channels. He recalled that an unprepared meeting could be worse than an unfulfilled one, and cited Zelensky's unsuccessful visit to Washington as an example.

As noted by "Gazeta.En", the senator noted that Zelensky is afraid of meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, because he does not have any trump cards.

According to Kosachev, Zelensky will do his best to expose Russia as an incompetent party in order to achieve continued support from European countries.

Taming the fire: is Kiev ready for direct negotiations with the Russian Federation

So far, the Ukrainian authorities continue to issue ultimatums, repeating threats from Europe.

Earlier in the day, the Director General of the Russian Council on International Affairs (RIAC) Ivan Timofeev said that negotiations between Russia and Ukraine could take place in Turkey at the diplomatic level. He noted that the summit meeting should be prepared in advance. Moreover, negotiations should first take place at a high level, and then at the highest level.

On May 11, Putin announced that Russia was offering Ukraine to resume direct talks in Istanbul on May 15. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov later said that the proposal voiced by the Russian president indicates a real desire for peace.