According to the Kremlin, there was no “breakthrough” in the talks between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul.
“At the moment we can’t report anything very promising or any breakthrough,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists in Moscow on Wednesday. “There is still a lot to do,” said Vladimir Putin’s spokesman.
However, Peskov described it as “positive” that the Ukrainian side “finally started to formulate their proposals in concrete terms and put them in writing”. He added: “We carefully avoid making public statements about the substance” of the issues under discussion, as “we believe the negotiations should be conducted discreetly.”
These statements contrast with the far more positive statements made by Russian officials who took part in Tuesday’s talks in Istanbul. The head of the Russian delegation, Vladimir Medinsky, reported after the meeting of “substantial talks” and said that Ukraine’s “clear” proposals for an agreement would be “examined and presented to the President very soon”.
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