Diplomats from Moscow and Kiev are returning to the negotiating table today for a new round of talks at Istanbul's Dolma Bakhce Palace, as the fighting in Ukraine rages on for the 35th day.
BIT BY BIT HERE ALL DEVELOPMENTS
Although the new round of peace talks is scheduled to conclude tomorrow, Wednesday, as SKAI's correspondent in Istanbul, Manolis Kostidis, reports, it is possible that they could be extended until Thursday afternoon.
Turkish President[/B] Recep Tayyip Erdogan on his arrival at the palace, said that Turkey sees both Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky as "valuable friends" and that progress in the Istanbul talks may pave the way for a meeting between the two leaders, which Turkey is also willing to host.
He added that both sides have "legitimate concerns", but we have reached a point where the talks must deliver "concrete results".
Continuing his welcome, Recep Tayyip Erdogan stressed that he considers the talks very important, noting that no one will lose from a "just peace" and that the continuation of the conflict benefits no one.
"At such a critical moment, we are pleased to welcome you and to contribute to your efforts to consolidate peace," he stressed, expressing the hope that the talks would prove to be auspicious "for your countries, our region and all of humanity."
In fact, he called for an immediate ceasefire.
However, Kiev's most ambitious goal in talks with the Moscow delegation is a ceasefire agreement, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said yesterday.
However, a senior State Department official expressed pessimism about the progress of the talks last night, stating: "What I've seen so far tells me that (Putin) is not willing to compromise at this time."
In an op-ed, the Financial Times noted yesterday that "Russia and Ukraine are discussing a cessation of hostilities as part of a possible deal that would involve giving up Ukraine's bid for NATO membership in return for security guarantees and the prospect of joining the EU, according to four people briefed on the discussions."
The same sources stressed that the draft ceasefire agreement ahead of the new round of talks in Turkey made no mention of the three original central Russian demands: the "denazification" of Ukraine, the demilitarization of the country and legal protection of the Russian language.
It should be noted that last Friday, the Kremlin's deputy defense chief said that the first phase of the "military operation" has been completed and that the Russian military is now focusing on "liberating" the Donbass regions of eastern Ukraine.
However, Kiev did not take this statement as an announcement of a rollback, considering that Putin's goal is to partition Ukraine, as was done with North and South Korea, creating a kind of de facto state entity in the occupied territories.
Similarly, Volodymyr Zelensky gave an indication of the concessions he is willing to make in order to bring about peace as soon as possible. Speaking to a group of independent Russian journalists, the Ukrainian president said he is ready to discuss his country's neutrality status with international guarantees, as well as a "compromise solution" to the Donbass issue. He stressed, however, that any solution would have to be ratified by the Ukrainian people in a referendum.
Source: skai.gr
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