Ukraine faced Russian intimidation at Istanbul negotiations, Ukrainian diplomat says

Serhii Kyslytsia, a member of Ukraine’s delegation at the Istanbul talks with Russia, stated that the Russian representatives, led by Vladimir Medinsky, behaved aggressively and issued direct threats to the Ukrainian side.

Source: Serhii Kyslytsia, First Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine, on X (Twitter); Sky News

Quote: "There was a chilling moment when the Russians are reported to have threatened their interlocutors like gangsters.

‘Maybe some of those sitting here at this table will lose more of their loved ones,’ Mednisky said. Russia is prepared to fight forever."

Sky News noted that this situation holds personal significance for Kyslytsia, whose nephew, Maks, was killed in 2022 fighting Russian forces shortly after the start of Russia’s full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine.

The news outlet reported that the Russian side showed no willingness for constructive dialogue, instead demanding the complete withdrawal of Ukrainian Armed Forces from four temporarily occupied regions and two additional regions, without conditions.

In a recent Fox News interview, journalist Bret Baier repeatedly asked US President Donald Trump whether he could pressure Vladimir Putin to end Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. Trump, however, focused on his Gulf tour earnings, criticised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and former President Joe Biden, and praised his special envoy Steve Witkoff, avoiding direct answers.

Sky News suggested that such responses indicate Putin has little to fear from US pressure.

Background:

• On 16 May, direct talks were held in Istanbul between Russian and Ukrainian delegations for the first time in over three years.
• The media also reported that the Russian delegation in Istanbul demanded that US representatives not be present at the talks with the Ukrainian side and put forward demands that are unrealistic and go far beyond what was previously discussed.
• Russian representatives voiced several demands to the Ukrainian delegation during a closed meeting in Istanbul on 16 May, setting out the conditions under which Moscow is ready to cease fire. Among them are Ukraine's renunciation of territories and claims for reparations.
• Vladimir Medinsky, the head of the Russian delegation in Istanbul, said during the talks that Russia was ready for an endless war against Ukraine and threatened to seize Sumy and Kharkiv oblasts. "We fought Sweden for 21 years. How long are you ready to fight?" he asked the Ukrainian side.

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