ISW: Low-level delegation indicates that Russia is not interested in sincere negotiations

Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) have noted that Russia's decision to send a low-level delegation to a new round of peace talks in Istanbul indicates that the Russian Federation is not interested in sincere negotiations.

Source: ISW

Quote: "Russian officials continue to signal the Kremlin's uncompromising position ahead of proposed talks in Istanbul on 2 June, suggesting that the upcoming Istanbul meeting is very unlikely to yield substantive results in support of an enduring peace in Ukraine."

Details: Vasily Nebenzya, Russia's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, said during a meeting of the UN Security Council on 30 May that Russia was ready to fight Ukraine for as long as necessary and that Ukraine could either accept peace, presumably on Russia's terms, or face inevitable defeat on the battlefield.

Nebenzya also said that the United States had recently opened its eyes to the root causes of the Russo-Ukrainian war and repeated Russian ruler Vladimir Putin's demands that the West stop arming Ukraine and cease efforts to build up forces as preconditions for a ceasefire.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on 29 May that the Russian delegation to the proposed bilateral talks in Istanbul on 2 June would be the same as the Russian delegation to the previous talks held in Istanbul on 15 and 16 May.

Quote: "Russian officials' decision to reiterate long-standing demands and send the same low-level delegation to the next Istanbul meeting indicates that Russia remains disinterested in engaging in good-faith negotiations. 

ISW continues to assess that Russia remains dedicated to protracting peace negotiations to support continued offensive operations in Ukraine and extract additional concessions from Ukraine and the West."

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