Peace talks in Kyiv: Cautious optimism amid rising tensions
On Monday at 6 a.m. Eastern Time, Russian and Ukrainian delegations will meet in the capital of Ukraine. The peace talks will be conducted by teams led by Vladimir Medinsky for the Kremlin and Rustem Umerov, the Ukrainian Minister of Defence.
What do you need to know?
- The meeting of the Russian and Ukrainian negotiation teams will take place on Monday in Kyiv. This is a crucial moment for both sides.
- The delegations will be led by Medinsky and Umerov. Vladimir Medinsky, a Russian politician of Ukrainian origin, will head the Russian delegation, while Rustem Umerov, Ukraine's Minister of Defence, will lead the Ukrainian side.
- Representatives from other countries will also join the delegates. The Turkish Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan, will be present, along with security representatives from Germany, the United Kingdom, and France.
What event preceded the talks?
The meeting of the Ukrainian and Russian delegations will take place on Monday. However, the day before, a conflict occurred that might bode poorly for the negotiations. Kyiv asked for the presentation of Russian conditions for ending the invasion of Ukraine before the meeting. However, Moscow did not agree and does not intend to meet the expectations of the Ukrainian negotiators, calling this proposal "unconstructive".
What is the plan for the talks?
As reported by the TASS agency, the Russian side intends to present a document with their demands only during the talks. They called it a "memorandum that sets out our views on all aspects of reliably overcoming the root causes of the crisis."
Before the talks begin, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will give a speech. European countries will also support Ukraine in the talks with Russia. Representatives from Germany, the United Kingdom, and France will join the discussions between Ukraine and Russia.
What can this meeting bring?
Representatives from Moscow and Kyiv already met on May 16 in Istanbul. However, no breakthrough occurred, so it is unknown how the talks on Monday, June 2, will proceed. In Istanbul, only the details regarding the exchange of prisoners were agreed upon, and this was carried out.
