An evasive Vladimir Putin embarked on a bizarre monologue about the history of tsarist Russia as speculation mounted over whether he will meet Volodymyr Zelensky in Istanbul for crunch talks
Vladimir Putin has attempted to mock Ukraine after refusing to reveal whether he would attend vital peace talks in Turkey. The Russian president has been invited by Volodymyr Zelensky to join him for potentially historic face-to-face discussions over a ceasefire tomorrow – but the Kremlin has remained tight-lipped on whether he will be going, with Russia instead expected to send a small designation of junior officials.
The Ukrainian president has said he will only speak to Putin directly as he is “the only one who can end this war”, commenting yesterday: “I will be waiting for Putin on Thursday. Personally. I hope that this time the Russians will not look for excuses.” Ignoring growing calls for him to get round the table and finally end the bloodshed, Putin instead played the role of tour guide during a visit from the Malaysian prime minister to the Kremlin today.
He told journalists he had given the Kuala Lumpur PM a tour of the Kremlin, and even tried to give him a history lesson in its tsarist past. He said: “Just now….I was telling the Prime Minister about St Andrew’s Hall. There are three thrones. And I asked: ‘Mr Prime Minister, here are three thrones.
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“‘One is for the tsar, the second is for his wife, the tsarina. And the third throne, who do you think it’s for?’ The Prime Minister, without much hesitation, replied: ‘For the second wife’.
“I hope the Prime Minister won’t be angry with me for telling this story. But that is the answer of a true Muslim, a representative of Islamic culture. I must say, our traditional values may not always align in every aspect, but exchanging information is always useful for both sides.”
The Malaysian PM laughed, while his officials looked initially stunned by Putin’s comments, before commenting: “I have to respond. I have one wife.
“But I feel like this was some kind of test from the President, some kind of trick. Three thrones, you see?
“Well, I said, of course, this one on the right is for the wife, and then the one on the other side – well, for the second wife. Then I realised it was for the mother.”
Putin – who at 72 has now ruled Russia longer than many of the tsars – confirmed the third throne was for the tsar’s mother.
His bizarre anecdote came as the world waited for him to engage with Donald Trump ’s peace bid – though all signs at present suggest that he wants to keep fighting in Ukraine, and he has refused demands to agree to a ceasefire ahead of talks
There were also reports tonight that his veteran foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, 75, would not be leading the Russian delegation to the talks, contrary to earlier leaks.
Volodymyr Zelensky has vowed to be there – but says he will only engage directly with Russia if Putin is across the table. Donald Trump has meanwhile hinted he will come if Putin does.
Today the head of the Russian delegation at the negotiations in Vienna on military security and arms control issues, Yulia Zhdanova, claimed Moscow was “ready for serious negotiations” with Ukraine. “We warmly thank the Turkish side for its readiness to mediate” she said.
But repeating a common Kremlin talking point, she suggested Ukraine had attempted to negotiate a ceasefire “for the purpose of re-arming and re-staffing the Ukrainian Armed Forces” before continuing the war, which she described as “absolutely unacceptable.”