Istanbul: Delegations from Russia and Ukraine met in Istanbul on Friday for direct peace talks for the first time in three years. Officials gave this information. According to Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhiy Tykhai, the Ukrainian delegation led by Defense Minister Rustam Umerov met with a Russian team led by Russian President Vladimir Putin's aide Vladimir Medinsky. He also released a photo of the meeting.
The meeting ended in less than two hours
Officials from Russia and Ukraine sat face-to-face around a U-shaped table. However, the meeting ended in less than two hours. After the meeting, Ukrainian officials accused Russia of making unfair proposals. However, officials and observers had already feared that there would be no immediate progress in stopping the war that has been going on for more than three years through Turkey-brokered talks.
Russia accused of making 'unacceptable demands'
A senior Ukrainian official on Friday accused Russia of making "unacceptable demands" during the ongoing peace talks here, which were not discussed earlier. The official said that these demands also included asking Ukrainian forces to withdraw from a large area under its control, so that a complete ceasefire could be implemented.
First meeting inconclusive
The senior official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said it seemed as if the Russian delegation was “deliberately trying to put forward unacceptable demands so that today’s meeting would be inconclusive.” He said the Ukrainian side reiterated that its approach was focused on achieving real progress, including an immediate ceasefire and finding a path to concrete diplomacy, “as proposed by the US, European partners and others.”
