Third Istanbul talks: Ukrainian expert lays out what to expect
Russia does not show a real desire to achieve peace or even a ceasefire. However, during the talks in Istanbul, the Ukrainian side may try to secure at least humanitarian solutions, said political analyst and international expert Maksym Nesvitailov in a comment to RBC-Ukraine’s YouTube channel.
"Well, first of all, let’s wait for the talks to happen. Because the Russians, through their media, are spreading information that maybe they will come on Thursday, not tomorrow, but the day after," he noted.
In his view, Moscow is deliberately manipulating the information environment. In this way, Russia tries to intercept the initiative demonstrated by Ukraine.
Nesvitailov emphasized that there are no great hopes for these negotiations since, in six months, Russia has not once shown genuine interest in achieving peace.
"Of course, we do not have high hopes, as I understand it, for this negotiation process because the Russians over the past six months have not demonstrated any real efforts to make peace or even reach a ceasefire," he said.
However, Ukraine should take advantage of the situation and try to achieve at least humanitarian results. He stressed, "It seems to me that it is important for us in this situation to achieve at least some humanitarian goals."
The expert also noted that Russia is unlikely to agree to peace but might make some symbolic concessions under external pressure.
"We understand that the Russians obviously won’t agree to peace. But we also understand that we might be able to squeeze something out of them," Nesvitailov added.
Trump’s 50-day deadline for Russia
According to him, Moscow is nervous due to pressure from the US, particularly because of the 50-day deadline announced by President Donald Trump. However, he suggested that this deadline might just be a bluff.
"They might be a bit nervous about this 50-day deadline from Donald Trump. They understand that Trump will extend these 50 days," he noted.
He recalled the situation with TikTok, when the ban was postponed three times. Similarly, in his opinion, this could happen with the negotiations and other initiatives.
Nesvitailov believes Moscow is aware of this but might agree to minimal steps just so it doesn’t appear completely passive.
"They’re like: we need to give something, throw a bone. And it’s our task to squeeze the maximum out of this situation," he summarized.
At the same time, he added that the 50-day deadline will most likely end without results: "We also somewhat understand that this 50-day story will probably end with nothing, that it’s just a bluff… The US is not rushing the process."
Negotiations in Istanbul
On July 21, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that the third round of talks with Russia in Istanbul is scheduled for July 23.
At the same time, he added that more details about the upcoming meeting would be released on July 22.
According to Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, Russia wants to discuss the memorandums exchanged between the parties during the negotiations. In its memorandum, Moscow demanded that Ukraine withdraw its troops from the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions.
