Immediately after the first Russian missiles landed in Ukraine on February 24 and tanks bearing the Z symbol crossed the border, Kiev began preparing for negotiations with an enemy that has recently strictly denied any intent to invade. Five and a half weeks later, thousands dead, crumbling infrastructure and a Russian advance that has stalled, there is still no sign of a ceasefire. While Ukraine is pushing for a summit between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin insists on first clearing up all outstanding issues before Putin sits in the government machine and – rumor has it – meets his adversary in Turkey.
