Russians and Ukrainians sat face-to-face for under two hours Friday in Istanbul for the first direct talks in over three years aimed at ending their war, with expectations low for breakthroughs.
Kyiv is seeking an “unconditional ceasefire” in Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II, which has also destroyed large swathes of Ukraine and displaced millions of people.
Moscow says it wanted to address the “root causes” of the conflict and revive failed 2022 negotiations in which it made sweeping territorial and political demands of Ukraine.
Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan sat at the head of a table in front of Turkish, Russian, and Ukrainian flags at Istanbul’s Dolmabahce Palace — with Russian and Ukrainian delegations facing each other, footage from the room showed.
The talks concluded around 1220 GMT after just over 90 minutes, a Turkish foreign ministry source said.
While the talks were ongoing, a Ukrainian diplomatic source told AFP that Russia was making “unacceptable” territorial demands in a bid to derail negotiations.
Further talks may take place later on Friday, but are not planned, a senior Ukrainian official told AFP.
Speaking at a European summit in Albania, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged a “strong reaction” from the world if the talks fail, including new sanctions.
The two sides spent the 24 hours before the talks slinging insults at each other, with Zelensky accusing Moscow of sending “empty heads” to the negotiating table.
– Putin ‘afraid’ –
Nevertheless, the fact that the meeting was taking place at all was a sign of movement, with both sides having come under steady pressure from Washington to open talks.
Russian President Vladimir Putin declined to travel to Turkey for the talks, which he had proposed, sending a second-level delegation instead.
Zelensky said Friday Putin was “afraid” of meeting, and criticised Russia for not taking the talks “seriously.”
Both Moscow and Washington have also talked up the need for a meeting between Putin and US President Donald Trump on the conflict.
“Contacts between presidents Putin and Trump are extremely important in the context of the Ukrainian settlement,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Friday, adding that “a meeting is undoubtedly necessary.”
Trump had said Thursday that nothing would be settled until the two leaders met.
“Our number one priority is a full, honest, and unconditional ceasefire,” Zelensky said as talks were underway.
“This must happen immediately to stop the killing and create a solid basis for diplomacy.”
If a ceasefire cannot be agreed, “it will be 100 percent clear that Putin continues to undermine diplomacy,” he added.
And in that case, “the world must respond. There needs to be a strong reaction, including sanctions on Russia’s energy sector and banks,” Zelensky said.
AFP
