Russia says no quick breakthrough in ‘complex’ Ukraine talks

MOSCOW, June 5 ------ Russia has said it was wrong to expect a quick breakthrough in Ukraine talks, after Moscow rejected Kyiv’s call for an unconditional ceasefire at negotiations in Istanbul. The sides agreed on a large-scale swap of captured soldiers and exchanged their roadmaps to peace, or so-called “memorandums”, at the discussions, which lasted less than two hours.

More than three years into Russia’s offensive which has killed tens of thousands on both sides and forced millions from their homes in eastern Ukraine — the two sides appear as irreconcilable as ever. “The settlement issue is extremely complex and involves a large number of nuances,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday. “It would be wrong to expect immediate solutions and breakthroughs,” he added.

Moscow demanded Ukraine pull its troops out of four eastern and southern regions that Moscow claims to have annexed as a precondition to pausing its offensive, according to the document handed to the Ukrainians that was published by Russian state media. Kyiv had pressed for a full and unconditional ceasefire. Russia instead offered a partial truce of two to three days in some areas of the frontline, its top negotiator said after the talks.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha on Tuesday denounced Russia for presenting “old ultimatums that do not move the situation any closer to true peace” and for having “so far rejected any meaningful formats for a ceasefire”. Peskov earlier also dismissed the idea of a summit between the presidents of Russia, Ukraine and the United States. “In the near future, it is unlikely,” Peskov told reporters when asked about the chances of the leaders meeting, adding that such a summit could only happen after Russian and Ukrainian negotiators reach an “agreement”. The White House had said on Monday that US President Donald Trump was “open” to the idea, which is also backed by Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky and Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Source: inquirer.net