Russia excludes US and Turkey from crucial Ukraine talks
Russia demands that talks with Ukraine in Istanbul take place without the participation of the US and Turkey. This may undermine peace efforts, claims a Ukrainian diplomatic source.
What do you need to know?
- Russia wants to exclude the US and Turkey from talks: A Ukrainian diplomatic source reported that Russia demands the talks in Istanbul occur without the presence of representatives from the United States and Turkey.
- Meeting in Istanbul: On Friday, there was a meeting of delegations from the US, Ukraine, and Turkey, attended by the foreign ministers of these countries.
- Further talks: Another meeting is planned with the participation of Ukraine, Russia, and Turkey, where the Ukrainian delegation will be led by Defence Minister Rustem Umerov.
Russian and Ukrainian delegations will soon begin talks in Istanbul, to be led by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Reuters reported on Friday, citing sources in the Turkish Foreign Ministry.
These are the first direct talks between Ukraine and Russia in three years.
Why does Russia want to exclude the US and Turkey?
A Ukrainian diplomatic source, who chose to remain anonymous, told Reuters that Russia demands that the talks with Ukraine in Istanbul occur without representatives of 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," the source said.
Does Russia want to halt the peace process?
According to the Ukrainian source, Russia may fear the presence of the US because "they came to stall the process, not solve issues, and they want to hide this from the US." The Friday meeting in Istanbul included the foreign ministers of the US, Ukraine, and Turkey: Marco Rubio, Andriy Sybiha, and Hakan Fidan.
What are the further plans for the talks?
In the next meeting scheduled for Friday, representatives from Ukraine, Russia, and Turkey will participate. The Ukrainian side informed that its team will be led by Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, while the Russian delegation will be headed by Putin's advisor, Vladimir Medinsky.
