Russian attempts to link today's talks to 2022 will not succeed - Ukrainian President's Office
Photo: Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak (t.me/ermaka2022)
Russia wants to link today’s negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul to 2022 but they will not succeed, according to the President’s Office chief, Andriy Yermak.
He made the corresponding statement immediately after Ukraine and Russia, with Türkiye's mediation, began negotiations in Istanbul.
“The Russians want to draw associations with 2022. But the only thing that connects these negotiations to that year is the city of Istanbul. And nothing more. All Russian attempts to tie today to 2022 will not succeed,” Yermak said.
Russia’s demands
Last week Russian leader Vladimir Putin proposed resuming direct negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul starting May 15. The Kremlin stated that it wants negotiations based on the positions of 2022, but taking into account the situation “on the ground.”
After the start of the full-scale war, Ukraine and Russia had several rounds of negotiations in Belarus and Istanbul. At that time, Russia demanded Ukraine’s de facto capitulation.
Russia claimed that the so-called “Istanbul agreement” was allegedly developed as a result of those meetings. However, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy denied that.
Media outlets published the main points of the possible peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia as proposed in 2022. Moscow demanded a ban on Ukraine’s NATO membership, as well as a significant reduction of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to 85,000 troops. One of Russia’s key demands was also the recognition of Crimea as Russian.
Ukraine-Russia talks in Istanbul
The Ukrainian and Russian delegations began their first negotiations in three years in Istanbul on Friday, May 16. The Ukrainian team is headed by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, and the Russian team by Putin’s aide Vladimir Medinsky, who already represented Russia in the 2022 negotiations.
The composition of the Russian delegation was criticized, as the Kremlin sent not high-ranking officials, but essentially second-tier bureaucrats.
Moscow demanded that the United States not participate in the negotiation process. Ukraine responded to Russia’s demand by accusing Moscow of obstructing peace efforts.
Before the negotiations with the Russians, Ukraine had separate meetings with national security advisors from the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, as well as meetings with senior officials from the US and Türkiye.
Read more about the negotiations in RBC-Ukraine’s report.
