Russia, Ukraine hold first peace talks since 2022

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In Istanbul on Friday, the first direct talks about stopping the Russian-Ukrainian war in Istanbul were low, expectations were low that the two sides would be willing to end Europe’s most deadly conflict since World War II.

Kiev wants a “unconditional ceasefire” in the fight that has killed tens of thousands of people, destroyed large parts of Ukraine and displaced millions of people.

Moscow says it wants to resolve the “basic reasons” of the dispute and wants to restore the failed negotiations of 2022, in which it has cleared Ukraine’s regional and political demands.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hawkin Faden called for a ceasefire when he launched a meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian delegation at 1 pm local time at the Dolombhas Palace in Istanbul.

“Although war is continuing, it is important that the ceasefire be implemented as soon as possible,” Feden said.

He sat on the head of a table in front of the Turkish, Russian and Ukrainian flags – the Russian and Ukrainian delegation encountered each other, the footage showed from the room.

Hundreds of journalists were waiting outside the palace.

The two sides spent 24 hours before the talks were derogatory on each other and Ukrainian President Wolodmeer Zelinsky accused Moscow of not being “serious” about peace.

Nevertheless, the fact is that the meeting was taking place, it was a symbol of the movement, the two sides had pressured Washington to negotiate.

Russian President Vladimir Putin refused to travel to Turkey for talks, which he proposed, and instead sent a second -level delegation.

Zlinski criticized Russia for not taking the conversation “seriously” by sending people to whom he said he did not have the authority to make decisions.

Both Moscow and Washington have also talked about the need for a meeting between Putin and US President Donald Trump.

“The contacts between President Putin and Trump are very important in the context of Ukraine’s settlement,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday.

Trump said Thursday that nothing would be fixed until the two leaders were found.

‘Unconditional ceasefire’

“Ukraine is ready for peace and long -term and unconditional ceasefire,” said Zelnsky’s topd Edre Yarmak on Friday.

He added, “The Ukrainian delegation is in Istanbul today to achieve an unconditional ceasefire. This is our priority.”

Prior to talks with Russia, Ukrainian officials met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump’s special envoy to Keith Kilog and national security advisers from Britain, France and Germany.

State Department spokesman Temy Bruce said Rubio “discussed the importance of carrying out the peace of the Russia-Ukrainian war”, and “the US reiterated the position that the killing needs to be stopped”.

A Ukrainian diplomat in Istanbul told AFP that the delegation also wanted to discuss Putin Zillsky’s possible meeting.

Another source accused Moscow to block US participation in peace talks.

Western leaders have criticized Putin for quitting talks and sending his assistant.

Rubio acknowledged that the Russian representation was not “at the level we hoped it would happen” and that the expectations of its progress were reduced.

‘Contact Tips’

Russia’s Mednsky led the 2022 failed conversation with Ukraine at the beginning of the war.

He said Thursday that Moscow sees these talks as a “continuity” of the negotiations that failed in 2022 – a sign that Moscow’s stringent demands have not changed.

But Madanski withdrew his criticism of Zilnski, insisting that the Russian delegation had a “mandate to find a possible solution and contact points from Putin.”

Russia has repeatedly said that it will not discuss abandoning any area, which is occupied by forces.

Kiev’s chief negotiator is Defense Minister Rustam Omarov, who has its roots in the Crimea, the Peninsula, which Russia connected in 2014.

‘Avoid peace’

Kiev and Moscow last held direct diplomatic talks in March 2022 in the first weeks of the attack on Russia’s Ukraine. Since then he collapsed and the fighting has been quarreled, after which Moscow has occupied fifth of Ukraine.

Russia continued its attacks in the hours before the talks, Kiev says at least two people have been killed.

European leaders criticize Putin for leaving the Istanbul talks.

The European Union’s top diplomat Kaja Kalas on Friday alleged that Russia was not “clearly” for peace with Ukraine.

However, NATO chief Mark Rod said that Putin had made a “big mistake” by sending a Russian delegation to Istanbul.