Russia and Ukraine talks in Istanbul stall over US exclusion
Reuters reports that delegations from Russia and Ukraine met in Istanbul, Turkey. This marks the first meeting of representatives from both countries since 2022.
The Ukrainian side has announced that Defence Minister Rustem Umerov will head its team. President Putin's advisor, Vladimir Medinsky, will lead the Russian delegation.
Earlier on Friday, delegations from the USA, Ukraine, and Turkey met in Istanbul to discuss ending the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The talks lasted around an hour and were attended by the foreign ministers of these countries: Marco Rubio, Andriy Sybiha, and Hakan Fidan.
Rubio criticised Russia's lack of seriousness in discussions about ending the war in Ukraine. During the NATO summit in Antalya, he stated that the delegation sent by Moscow does not inspire hope for genuine negotiations, asserting that further unproductive meetings are futile.
Does Russia want to talk without the USA? Concerning signals
Reuters, citing a source in Ukrainian diplomacy, reported on Friday that Russia is demanding the talks with Ukraine in Istanbul be conducted without representatives from the United States and Turkey.
"Yet another sign of the Russian side undermining the peace effort. We came to have a serious conversation, while Russians are putting forward demands, conditions. This makes us doubt whether Putin sent them to solve issues or just stall the process," a Reuters informant said.
"The Russians," said the Ukrainian source, "came to stall the process, not solve issues, and they want to hide this from the US."
Meanwhile, according to the AFP agency, the Ukrainian delegation hopes to discuss in Istanbul the possibility of a direct meeting between President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
