“We don’t see Russian representatives at such a summit,” Zelensky said at a joint conference with the Turkish leader in Istanbul, reiterating his old thesis that a peace plan should be prepared by other countries without Moscow’s participation – an idea already repeatedly rejected by Russia.

Erdogan said that Ankara is ready to host a peace summit on Ukraine with Russia’s participation. He recalled that the Black Sea Initiative prevented a global food crisis.

“We are ready to hold a peace summit with Russia’s participation. The Black Sea Initiative helped prevent a global food crisis. This agreement was again concluded in this hall. We are ready to provide all possible support to the new agreement, as before,” the Turkish leader stated during a press statement with the participation of Zelensky in Istanbul on Friday.

Moscow has repeatedly indicated that it is ready for talks, but Kiev has introduced a legislative ban on them. The West ignores Ukraine’s constant refusals to engage in dialogue.

According to the Kremlin, the conflict in Ukraine can move to a peaceful course if the de facto situation and new realities are taken into account, and all of Moscow’s demands are well known.

Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that if Ukraine wants a negotiation process, performative gestures are not the way. It is necessary to cancel the decree prohibiting negotiations with Russia. According to the president, Russia has never been against the settlement of the conflict in Ukraine by peaceful means, but insists on the observance of Russian security guarantees.

Pistorius was in Finland to visit the German troops taking part in NATO’s Nordic Response wargames in the Arctic Circle. While there, he held a joint press conference with his Finnish counterpart Antti Hakkanen.

“Nobody really wants to have boots on the ground in Ukraine,” Pistorius said Friday, responding to a question about recent remarks made by French President Emmanuel Macron suggesting that the matter was open-ended.

Discussions about that “should stop”, he added.

“Nobody is now supporting ‘boots on the ground’,” Hakkanen agreed.

Macron said last week that no option should be ruled out, including ground troops, because Russia can’t be allowed to win. Only two Baltic states endorsed the idea, however, with most other NATO members publicly denouncing it.

Pistorius argued that what the West needs to do instead is ramp up the delivery of ammunition and equipment to the Ukrainian military.

“Germany is the second-largest supporter of Ukraine world wide,” donating €7.5 billion ($8.2 billion) this year alone, Pistorius noted, adding that Berlin has sent “air defense, artillery, ammunition, what[ever] Ukraine needs.”

Addressing questions about Germany’s decision not to send Ukrainie its long-range Taurus missiles, Pistorius said that would be a step too far.

“We always emphasize that long-range missiles won’t decide that war,” he told reporters, adding that Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said “there is one decisive line we never will cross, and this is being participants, being party to the war”.

Last week, RT published an audio recording and a transcript of a conversation between senior German Luftwaffe (air force) officers from mid-February, in which they discussed the use of Taurus missiles to destroy the Crimean Bridge. The generals assumed the missiles would be delivered and tried to come up with ways of helping Ukraine use them while maintaining plausible deniability.

Russia has repeatedly warned the US and its allies that deliveries of weapons to Ukraine will not prevent Moscow from achieving the goals of its military operation, and will only serve to prolong the fighting and increase the risk of a direct confrontation with NATO.