No significant progress at Ukraine-Russia meeting in Istanbul – Axios
Photo: the Russian delegation held talks with the Ukrainian side in Istanbul (Getty Images)
The Ukrainian and Russian delegations have concluded talks in Istanbul. They did not achieve significant progress toward reaching peace, Axios reports.
The lack of significant progress was reported to the outlet by an unnamed Ukrainian diplomatic source.
The source also noted that the meeting itself lasted just over an hour.
It specified that the Russian delegation demanded that the Ukrainian army withdraw from several areas within Ukraine in exchange for a ceasefire.
"Russian demands are detached from reality and go far beyond anything that was previously discussed," the source added.
Ukraine-Russia talks in Istanbul
Today’s negotiations between Ukrainian and Russian officials in Istanbul marked the first contact between the two countries in three years.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine aims to achieve at least a 30-day ceasefire with Russia during the talks. This pause is necessary to move forward with discussions on all other issues related to peace.
Russia, on the other hand, is resisting a truce and seeks to continue the war. President Vladimir Putin is putting forward ceasefire conditions that are effectively impossible for Ukraine to accept.
More details on how the negotiations in Istanbul unfolded can be found in RBC-Ukraine’s full report.
