Maria Zaharova says Putin's participation in Istanbul peace talks was just Zelensky's "sick fantasy"

Zaharova criticized the Ukrainian president's statements, saying that the Russian delegation to the Istanbul talks had been established in advance and that there was no expectation that Putin would personally attend. She characterized Zelensky's comments as fabrications and accused the Ukrainian leader of inadequacy, suggesting that his actions were more show than a serious approach to negotiations. Negotiations were held on May 16, but quickly ended without significant progress, with the sides agreeing only on a prisoner swap.