Moscow (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Russian negotiators travelled to Turkey on Wednesday to conduct peace talks with Ukraine, according to the Kremlin. This marks the first direct discussions between the conflicting sides in over seven weeks.
Russia minimised expectations of a breakthrough at the gathering, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy mentioned this week should partly focus on arranging a summit between himself and President Vladimir Putin.
“Naturally, no one expects an easy road. Naturally, this will be a very difficult conversation. The projects (of the two sides) are diametrically opposed,”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists.
Will Zelenskiy and Putin agree to a summit?
Earlier this week, Zelenskiy said the substantial topic of discussion was clear-cut: the exchange of prisoners of war and children taken by Russia, as well as organising a meeting with Putin.
Putin denied Zelenskiy’s previous proposal to meet face-to-face and roundly stated he does not consider Zelenskiy a legitimate leader. He pointed out that Ukraine, under martial law, did not hold new elections after Zelenskiy’s five-year term ended last year. Russia also continues to deny allegations of abducting children. The Kremlin mentioned this week that expecting “miracles” from the talks is unrealistic.
How have past peace talks between them ended?
The recent discussions in Istanbul on 16 May and 2 June led to the exchange of thousands of prisoners of war and the remains of soldiers who had paid the ultimate sacrifice. However, both meetings lasted less than three hours combined, and they did not even either a ceasefire or a solution to near three and a half years of conflict.
Last week, President Donald Trump threatened Russia and its foreign withdrawal countries with severe new sanctions if a peace agreement could not be reached within 50 days.
However, three sources close to the Kremlin said Putin has no plans to adhere to the ultimatum, and will continue combating in Ukraine until the West fulfils Russia’s peace conditions, and that it’s possible the territorial demands could expand as Russian forces advance.
In recent weeks, Russian forces have ramped up air assault more than they have during the war so far, with Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, receiving particularly heavy bombardment. Ukraine has been countercharging, and last month, it all but destroyed Russia’s fleet of strategic bombers able to carry nuclear weapons by routing drones near air bases tens of kilometres inside Russia.
What peace conditions has Russia defined?
During the June 2 meeting, Russia had Ukraine list its main demands in a memorandum: complete occupation of its territories in four separate regions, a restriction on the size of the Ukrainian military, greater rights for Ukrainian Russian-speaking residents, and acceptance of some neutral status outside NATO or any similar alliance.
How has Ukraine responded to Russian conditions?
Ukraine considers the terms to be tantamount to surrender, with Zelenskiy describing the Russian position as an ultimatum. Kyiv is asking for an immediately ceasefire, reparations, international security guarantees, and non-limited military capability.
