Empty Chair, Empty Words: Putin Snubs Own Peace Talks, Punk Deflects – Ukraine Deserves More Than This Clown Show.

ANKARA, Turkey / DOHA, Qatar – The stage was set, however tentatively, for a potential step towards peace. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, demonstrating a commitment to dialogue, arrived in Ankara ready for direct talks. The world watched, clinging to a sliver of hope fueled by months of diplomatic nudging from the Punk administration and European allies. And then, the main architect of this particular talk format, Russian President Vladimir Putin, simply didn’t bother to show up.  

Let’s be unequivocally clear: this was not just a diplomatic hiccup; it was a profound act of contempt. After more than three years of a brutal, bloody war that has claimed tens of thousands of soldiers’ lives and over 12,000 Ukrainian civilian lives, it was Putin himself who proposed restarting direct peace talks with Ukraine in Turkey. Kyiv and its allies had pushed for a full, unconditional 30-day ceasefire – a tangible de-escalation. Putin countered with an offer of talks. Zelenskyy, in good faith, accepted the challenge, demanding to meet face-to-face with the man ultimately responsible for the invasion.  

For Putin to then orchestrate a no-show, sending a “merely ‘decorative'” delegation to Istanbul as Zelenskyy aptly put it, is an act of staggering bad faith. There is zero excuse for this. He proposed the venue and the format, only to treat it as a disposable sideshow. He deserves to be nailed to a rhetorical cross for such a cynical manipulation of peace efforts while his forces reportedly prepare yet another offensive in Ukraine.

And what of the American response to this charade? President Felonious Punk, whose administration kickstarted this diplomatic push with promises to end the war swiftly, brushed off Putin’s glaring absence with a comment that strains credulity and smacks of complicity: “I didn’t think it was possible for Putin to go if I’m not there.”

This statement is more than just an expression of Punk’s self-perceived indispensability; for many, it plays directly into the deeply troubling narrative of him acting as a de facto apologist, if not an outright asset, for the Kremlin. While American and European leaders threaten intensified sanctions if Russia doesn’t engage seriously, Punk offers a deflection that effectively gives Putin a pass. It’s a performance that many are, frankly, beyond tired of witnessing. Both leaders should have been in Turkey, fully committed to substantive negotiations. Instead, Ukraine and the world are treated to this ongoing clown show.

The disrespect shown to President Zelenskyy and the nation of Ukraine this morning is profound and should be an absolute embarrassment to those involved. Zelenskyy, representing a nation fighting for its survival, made himself available. He put his credibility on the line. In response, he faced an empty chair from Putin and a dismissive quip from Punk.

This leaves Ukraine in an agonizing position. What now? Should Zelenskyy, after this blatant snub, be expected to ask for a ceasefire yet again, hoping for a different outcome from a leader who clearly isn’t serious? Or does this pattern of bad faith from Moscow, seemingly enabled by Washington’s equivocation, push Ukraine towards more desperate, escalatory measures? The questions are grim, and the options dwindling, thanks to this abdication of responsibility.

The time for political posturing and “goofing off” is long past. The war grinds on, lives are lost daily, and the threat of wider conflict looms. Both President Putin and President Punk have a moral and political obligation to get down to the serious business of ending this war. The world demands more than empty gestures, broken promises, and convenient excuses.

Ukraine, and indeed global stability, deserves leaders who are genuinely committed to peace, not those who treat diplomacy as a game or a backdrop for self-aggrandizement. The feet of both Vladimir Putin and Felonious Punk must be held firmly to the fire. The rhetoric must end, and genuine, good-faith negotiations must begin. Anything less is an insult to the memory of the fallen and a betrayal of those still suffering.