Russia has announced a “radical” reduction of military activity in the Ukrainian regions of Kiev and Chernihiv.
The first day of talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations on Turkish soil ended with this news and will continue tomorrow. The confirmation comes from the press office of the Ukrainian embassy in Ankara. A press conference by a member of the Kyiv delegation is expected shortly.
The Russian chief negotiator Medinsky, quoted by TASS, spoke of “constructive talks” and, at the proposals of the Kiev negotiators, said that they will be communicated shortly to Russian President Putin and then make a response from the head of the Kremlin.
Negotiations defined as “difficult for the peace of our country” in one of the first hot comments by Mikhaylo Podolyak, Zelensky’s adviser.
The summit took place three weeks after the last one which had led to a stalemate.
During a pause, Podolyak, speaking to the press, made known the arguments on the summit table: “Guarantees on unconditional security for Ukraine, ceasefire, effective decisions on corridors and humanitarian convoys, respect of the parties for the rules of war “, these are the objectives of Kiev during the talks.
A few hours ago the Russian agency Interfax, quoting an informed source, wrote in a note that “the question of the conditions for the possible neutral status of Ukraine has been raised”.
It was initially learned that Russian delegates protested with the Ukrainian counterpart over the videos showing the torture inflicted by Ukrainian soldiers on Russian prisoners of war. For the Ukrainian negotiators, the main issue raised by Kiev concerns the security guarantees to accompany the neutrality status and, secondly, humanitarian issues. But Vladimir Medinsky confirmed that Kiev has promised measures against those who torture: “At this point I can say that we have filed a protest over the video recordings of the torture of Russian soldiers. The Ukrainian side accepted this protest. They promised to take the most appropriate measures. harsh against those who committed these war crimes, if they catch them first. ”
The Russian and Ukrainian delegations were welcomed at the Dolmabahce palace, seat of President Erdogan’s office on the banks of the Bosphorus in Istanbul. The negotiators sat at a long table covered in white, facing each other. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba urged the negotiators engaged in talks with Russia in Istanbul to “not eat and drink anything and preferably avoid touching surfaces”.
The first official words came from the Turkish president who opened the meeting, recalling how the two leaders are “friends” for him: “The progress in the peace talks between the Ukrainian and Russian delegations in Turkey could pave the way for a meeting at the level of leaders. On all international platforms we have shown a fair approach that defends the rights and sensitivities of both parties “.
The oligarch Roman Abramovich was present, albeit in the background, already in conversation with the Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan before the start of negotiations between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul. In the images broadcast by the Turkish media, Abramovich is seen not sitting at the main table of the Russian and Ukrainian delegations, but to the side next to Ibrahim Kalin, a spokesman for President Erdogan, wearing headphones for translation. Kalin allegedly helped coordinate meetings between the Russian oligarch and a member of the Ukrainian delegation at a hotel in Istanbul. Abramovich’s presence suggests that he is still involved at some level in mediation attempts.
The heads of the Ukrainian and Russian delegations, David Arakhamia and Vladimir Medinsky, met side by side in a face to face “on the fundamental provisions of the negotiation process”, while “the delegations are working in parallel on the whole spectrum of controversial issues”. The meeting lasted about an hour after which the two joined the negotiating table in full.
Also Kuleba, a few hours after the meeting, had stated on the negotiations that “the minimum objective will be the humanitarian corridors and the maximum the reaching of an agreement on a ceasefire”, while the adviser of the Ukrainian Ministry of the Interior Vadym Denysenkosi was declared skeptical about the possibility of a breakthrough.
Vladimir Putin this morning did not seem ready to compromise to end the war, according to internal US sources. In the meantime, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov had said how important it was that the talks continue despite not having produced substantial progress until yesterday.
Today’s negotiations came after days of heated backlash between the Russian and American presidents. But Kuleba this morning was very cautious: “We are not trading people, land or sovereignty.”
Meanwhile, the UN is asking to investigate the torture of prisoners of war.
