He summed up the results of the meeting in Istanbul of the delegations of Ukraine and Russia.
“If you move aside all the Russian nonsense, pseudo -historical statements, provocations and so on, in the dry rest there is this: 1 thousand of our people – we managed to agree on a return. These are 1 thousand happy families. Even for this, all this made sense,” the diplomat wrote.
He noted that the Russian delegation did not have sufficient authority to discuss the ceasefire in the war of the Russian Federation against Ukraine.
“This is bad – that Putin sent people of such a low level. But we will continue to insult and a long, complete ceasefire. This is the basis for the success of any further decisions and steps. Well, in this context – a meeting of leaders, we will continue to work, crush, because in Russia only Putin makes decisions. He should stop avoiding our president Vladimir Zelensky and find the courage to a direct meeting,” said Sibiga.
In his opinion, in negotiations with the Russians, the Ukrainian delegation proved that Ukraine is striving for the world and seriously treated to work on its restoration.
“In order for Russia, too, it is necessary to continue and increase the pressure, the power of this pressure is inversely proportional to the readiness of Russians for the constructive. We will further convince our partners of this. A meeting in Istanbul cannot and will not serve as an excuse not to increase pressure on Russia. On the contrary, it is a certificate of why it is needed,” Sibiga emphasized.
He noted that Putin’s plan to present a meeting in Istanbul as a continuation of March 2022 was defeated, since current negotiations are a completely new dynamics, a new reference point. Now other conditions and realities, and the main factor is the efforts of the United States and their President Donald Trump regarding the cessation of the war.
“Ukraine will continue to stay its line and achieve its results. Return people, achieve silence, security and peace. This is a key priority. And the strengthening of Ukraine and our defense continues and will continue. This is the main thing. […] Zelensky in these weeks took very correct, thoughtful steps in order to achieve the interests of Ukraine. All our partners directly told us about this today. Our team continues to work, ”Sibiga said.
Context
On the night of May 11, after the ultimatum of European countries regarding the ceasefire in Ukraine, Putin invited Ukraine to resume direct negotiations regarding the war “without preliminary conditions “ In Istanbul on May 15.
Trump urged Ukraine to immediately agree to a meeting with the Russian Federation. After that, Zelensky said: he will wait for Putin in Turkey on May 15. The Kremlin was silent in response, confirming the composition of the delegation only on the night of May 14. The illegitimate President of the Russian Federation did not come to a meeting in Turkey, instead sent a low -level delegation (it was headed by Putin’s assistant Vladimir Medinsky), which Zelensky called Flaforskoy.
Trump, who at first did not exclude the opportunity to come to Istanbul, after Putin’s refusal to arrive in Turkey said that he “was not going to” go there. “Why would he go if I don’t go? ”Trump said on May 15, answering the question of the absence of the head of the Kremlin in the negotiations.
On May 16, negotiations of delegations of the Russian Federation and Ukraine were held. The interlocutor in Ukrainian diplomacy told Sky News that in the negotiations in Istanbul The Russian Federation demanded the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the “its territories” for the ceasefire (what exactly was being discussed, the channel did not specify). There were other requirements that cannot be fulfilled.
According to the informed interlocutor, to which the journalist The Economist Oliver Carroll referred to, the Russian delegation also threatened to seize the Kharkov or Sumy region. Medinsky said that the Russian Federation allegedly “could fight forever.” In addition, the interlocutor of the “suspension” said that the delegation of the Russian Federation was made a demand to recognize Crimea by the Russian one.
Zelensky noted that Russians “do everything possible to turn this meeting in Istanbul into a staged, empty process.”
