Friday marked a minor victory for democracy more than three years into the bloodiest conflict to hit Europe since 1945.
For the first time since March 2022, a month after Moscow invaded its neighbor, teams from Russia and Ukraine met in person for negotiations. The scene was a palace from the Ottoman era on Istanbul’s Bosphorus shoreline.
The warring sides were able to get there because to pressure and encouragement from the US and Turkey.
Half of the Ukrainian delegation wore camouflage military fatigues, a reminder that their country is under siege, and there were no handshakes.
A world away from the destroyed cities and flooded cemeteries of Ukraine, the room was decorated with a big floral arrangement and two Ukrainian, Turkish, and Russian flags.
