On May 16, a trilateral meeting of delegations from Ukraine, the United States, and Turkey was held in Istanbul. This was followed by negotiations between the delegations of Russia and Ukraine.
Points of attention
- The negotiations between Ukraine and Russia delegations in Istanbul ended without yielding concrete results, with the Russian side making unrealistic demands for troop withdrawal from Ukrainian regions.
- The Russian delegation hindered the peace process by putting forward demands that went beyond previous discussions and were deemed unrealistic by Ukrainian sources.
- The two-hour meeting highlighted the reluctance of the Russian side to resolve issues through negotiations, raising doubts about their intentions and commitment to solving the ongoing conflict.
The meeting between the delegations of Ukraine and the Russia has ended: what is known
First, a trilateral meeting between Turkey, the United States, and Ukraine took place at the Turkish presidential residence, Dolmabahçe, at 10:45 a.m. A trilateral meeting between representatives of Russia, Ukraine, and Turkey is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. there.
As of 12:50, it was known that the Russian delegation had arrived at the negotiating site. First, its head, Volodymyr Medinsky, will meet with a US representative.
As the BBC reported, this meeting is to be attended by US official Michael Anton, and will precede negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.
At 15:24 it became known that the negotiations between the delegations of Ukraine and Russia, mediated by Turkey, had ended. Reuters and SkyNews reported this, citing a source in the Turkish Foreign Ministry.
SkyNews also noted, citing a Ukrainian source, that the demands of the Russian delegation at the negotiations went beyond what had been discussed previously and were unrealistic.
In particular, the Russians demanded that Ukraine withdraw troops from four Ukrainian regions (Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhia — ed.), which the Russian authorities consider their own, in order to achieve a ceasefire.
The meeting between the Ukrainian and Russian delegations in Istanbul lasted about two hours.
Another sign that the Russian side is undermining the peace effort. We came to have a serious conversation, while the Russians are putting forward demands and conditions. This makes us question whether Putin sent them to solve problems or simply slow down the process, the source said on condition of anonymity. “There is only one reason why the Russians are afraid of the US presence in the room — they came to slow down the process, not solve problems, and they want to hide it from the United States.
