Once hailed as a glimmer of hope during the darkest days of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the so-called Istanbul Format of negotiations has now fully collapsed. But the reasons go deeper than just diplomatic failure. The world must confront a harsh truth: you cannot negotiate peace with an aggressor pursuing war to the point of annihilation.
Diplomacy Used as a Weapon of Deception
Russia has consistently shown that its involvement in talks was never a step toward peace—it was a tactical ploy. Each diplomatic pause was used to buy time, regroup forces, and escalate military aggression. The Istanbul Format has come to symbolize this delusion: talking peace with a state that only seeks domination by any means necessary.
Peace on the Aggressor’s Terms Is Not Peace
No peace plan is legitimate unless it includes the full and unconditional withdrawal of Russian forces from all occupied Ukrainian territories, including Crimea and the Donbas. Anything short of that is a trap disguised as diplomacy. Russia’s goal is to legitimize the consequences of its aggression. But international law must remain firm: Ukraine’s sovereignty is non-negotiable.
An Aggressor Cannot Be Trusted
History has already proven this—Bucha, Izyum, Mariupol, Bakhmut—all names associated with atrocities and war crimes. Add to that the systematic targeting of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, grain exports, and civilian populations, and any new attempt at peace talks starts to look either naïve or complicit. Trusting Russia is a risk the free world can no longer afford.
It’s Time for Action, Not Empty Declarations
The conversation must shift. Not more “peace proposals,” but a clear strategy of containment and resistance. Russia only understands the language of force. The world must respond with decisive measures:
- Increased military support for Ukraine – every delay costs lives.
- Next-level sanctions – directly targeting Russia’s military-industrial complex.
- Diplomatic isolation of the Kremlin – not more talks with Putin, but international marginalization and moral delegitimization.
Istanbul Is a Reminder: You Don’t Negotiate with Terror States
The failure of the Istanbul talks makes it painfully clear: good intentions are worthless when dealing with a regime built on violence and lies. There is no room for appeals to reason or humanity when the opponent operates through war crimes and systemic terror.
The free world must abandon strategic naivety once and for all. Trust in the aggressor is a luxury we can no longer afford. More weapons. More pressure. More resolve. This is not about escalation—it’s about preserving the rules that hold back chaos in the 21st century.
