ISTANBUL, Turkey: Russia and Ukraine are scheduled to resume peace talks in Istanbul on Wednesday evening, with both delegations arriving in the Turkish city for what Moscow has warned will be “difficult” discussions.
Russia downplayed expectations of a breakthrough between the two sides after nearly three and a half years of war.
The two sides previously met in Istanbul in May and June, but managed to agree only on exchanges of prisoners and soldiers’ bodies.
US President Donald Trump last week gave Russia “50 days” to end the war or face sanctions, but the Kremlin has not indicated it is willing to compromise on its demands.
“No one expects an easy road,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters when asked about his expectations for the talks. “It will be very difficult,” he added.
Ukraine said it hoped the two sides would discuss the release of prisoners and lay the ground for a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
Moscow has said that “a lot of work” is needed before even discussions can take place about possible talks between Putin and Zelensky, who last met in 2019.
Ukraine ready for ceasefire
A source in the Ukrainian delegation, cited by AFP, said that Ukraine is ready to agree to a ceasefire with Russia, but results from the meeting will depend on whether Russia takes a “constructive position”.
“Everything will depend on whether Russia stops speaking in ultimatums and takes a constructive position. This will determine whether results can be achieved at this meeting,” the source said as quoted by AFP.
The two sides have radically different positions for ending the conflict.
Russia has called on Ukraine to effectively retreat from the four Ukrainian regions Moscow claims to have annexed in September 2022, a demand Kyiv has called unacceptable.
Ukraine has ruled out any negotiations on territory until after a ceasefire and says it will never recognise Russia’s claims over occupied territory — including Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014.
Ukraine said former defence minister Rustem Umerov, who currently serves as security council secretary, would head its delegation.
The Kremlin said it would send political scientist Vladimir Medinsky to lead its negotiating team.
At the last talks on May 16 and June 2, the two sides agreed to large-scale prisoner exchanges.
They also exchanged their draft terms for ending the conflict, which the Kremlin said were “diametrically opposed”.
Wednesday’s talks come as the White House ramps up pressure on Russia to agree to a compromise.
Trump announced last week he was giving Russia until September to strike a peace deal with Ukraine or face bruising sanctions.
The US leader has been trying to broker an end to the war since his inauguration in January, but has failed to extract any concessions from the Kremlin, despite repeated phone calls with Putin.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last month called on both sides not to “shut the door” on dialogue.
