Russia and Ukraine still don’t talk to each other. The direct meeting was postponed until Friday morning. However, the signs for diplomatic progress are poor.
The first direct discussions between Ukraine and Russia since the spring of 2022 apparently start on Friday morning in Istanbul. The head of the Russian delegation, Vladimir Medinski, asked the representatives of Ukraine on Thursday evening to appear at 10 am Local Time (9 am CEST) during the conversations. “We are ready to work,” said President Vladimir Putin’s consultant in a video published on Telegram.
The Ukrainian delegation is led by Minister of Defense Rustem Umerow. He was appointed head of the delegation by President Wolodyymyr Senskyj after it became clear that there will be no direct conversations at the level of the heads of state. Senskyj was in Ankara on Thursday to continue to Istanbul as Putin also came to the Bosphorus -Metropolis.
The Russian president stayed away from the meeting. Now the two warring parties are represented by delegations with a lower ranking.
Confusion on Thursday
The conversations should have taken place on Thursday. During the day, different sources said they were postponed until Friday. Medinski now emphasized that the Russian delegation had come to Istanbul, “to lead direct bilateral negotiations without conditions”.
It has not yet been decided whether there will be a meeting of four people in the US, Russia, Ukraine, Ukraine, Ukraine, Türkiye. The American delegation is led by Minister of Foreign Affairs Marco Rubio, who has filled in expectations in advance. There will only be a breakthrough such as Putin and US President Donald Trump directly with the subject of deal, he said.
On Thursday evening, according to his department, the Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan had replaced by the Russian delegation in the Istanbul Dolmabahce Palace. According to the Russian envoys, the Ukrainian delegation in vain.
Russia rejects criticism of format
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs criticized that Moscow only sent the second row to peace negotiations in Turkey. The most qualified specialists came, said spokeswoman Maria Sacharova of the Ministry of the Russian news agency Tass of the State.
These experts are ready and competent for the discussions on all topics: “International law – please, the situation on the spot – please ask about the fighting – please,” she explained.
The Ukrainian President Senskyj described the delegation as a second class. He had demanded the presence of Kremlin Chief Vladimir Putin several times. The Russian president ignored the request. Main negotiator Medinski is considered a political lightweight and was also involved in the failed negotiations in 2022 shortly after the start of the war.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
