Empty talks with Russia should trigger new G7 sanctions — Zelenskyy
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
Western countries must put pressure on Russia if it turns the negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul into empty talk, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at a press conference following the Bucharest Nine summit.
The Ukrainian leader said if Russia turns the meeting in Istanbul into empty talk, there must be a new level of pressure and new sanctions — and not only from Europe.
He added that it is necessary to work on joint sanctions at the G7 level, particularly with the United States and all other countries that truly want peace.
Notably, the United States has so far been hesitant to impose new sanctions on Russia. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio explained that doing so might cause Moscow to withdraw from the negotiations.
Ukraine-Russia talks
Ukrainian and Russian delegations met today, June 2, in Istanbul. The talks lasted for about an hour.
No concrete outcomes have been announced so far. It was expected that Russia would present Ukraine with its written position on a potential ceasefire during the meeting.
More details on the second round of peace negotiations can be found in RBC-Ukraine's full report.
