The first direct negotiations between the delegations of Ukraine and Russia since 2022 were held in Istanbul.
Sky News writes that they have ended, although sources at Suspilne claim that the delegations only took a break.
CNN, citing sources in the Ukrainian delegation, writes that the meeting participants communicated through an interpreter.
According to Axios, the talks lasted a little over an hour and did not produce significant progress.
Sky News sources claim that Russia has made demands that are unrealistic and go far beyond anything previously discussed.
In particular, some of Russiaʼs demands included the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from its territory to ensure a ceasefire. Sky News does not specify which territories it is referring to, but Suspilne writes that it refers to territories that Ukraine "has not captured militarily".
At the same time, a Ukrainian source stated in a comment to CNN that the Russian delegation lacked the mandate to make important decisions.
“They are not ready to make any significant decisions to end the war,” the source said.
A Ukrainian source also told the BBC that the Russian delegation demanded that US representatives not be present at the talks. Indeed, no American delegates were visible in the photo from the meeting.
"We have intelligence that the Russians plan to go to the hotel immediately after the negotiations and press conference, and from there to the airport. This also indicates that they may not be serious," the source adds.
- These are the first direct negotiations between Ukraine and Russia since 2022. At the beginning of the war, the parties met in Istanbul, but in the spring of 2022, the meetings stopped. Based on the “Istanbul Communiqué,” the parties concluded a major agreement. One of its drafts, dated April 15, is publicly available — it was published by the American newspaper The New York Times. From this draft, it is clear that Russia offered Ukraine to agree to worthless, meaningless guarantees. The Russian side reserved the right to block any military assistance and at the same time demanded that Ukraine limit the size of the Defense Forces. In essence, Putin offered Zelensky to surrender — just in a more veiled form.
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