Between Moscow’s skepticism and the hopes of Kyiv … the start of the Russian -Ukrainian talks in Istanbul

The third round of the Russian -Ukrainian talks in the Turkish city of Istanbul, in a cautious atmosphere and Russian expectations, started this evening, which has prevented a major diplomatic breakthrough in the continuous war of the war since February 2022.

The meeting witnessed the presence of Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, along with the heads of the two delegations: Vladimir Midinski from the Russian side and Ratm Omarov from the Ukrainian side, in a meeting described as “triple”, and not a duo as was rumored at first.

Fidan called for a stop of the war “as quickly as possible”, stressing that “Türkiye is ready to provide a monitoring mechanism for any ceasefire.”
He also expressed his gratitude to Presidents Vladimir Putin and Voludimir Zellinski, and to US President Donald Trump, who played a role in pressure to return the dialogue.

The obstacle of opposite situations

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced that the proposals on both sides are completely inconsistent, stressing that the negotiations will not be easy, especially in light of Moscow’s adherence to its security and political demands.

Russia is calling for Ukrainian withdrawal from the areas that have been announced, along with the Crimea, refusing to join NATO (NATO), and end Western military support.

On the other hand, Ukraine requires a full Russian withdrawal from its lands, and security guarantees that include continued armament and deployment of international forces, in addition to a temporary ceasefire for 30 days, which Moscow rejects.

The exchange of prisoners and fate of Ukrainian children

Despite the political stalemate, reports indicate a relative progress in the file of the prisoners ’exchange, which Fidan also referred to during his opening speech, and Ukraine shows a clear desire to discuss the return of Ukrainian children who were forcibly transferred to Russia.

In conjunction with the talks, Russia bombed the city of Sumi, northeast of Ukraine, which led to the power out of more than 220,000 subscribers, the Ukrainian president announced.

The attacks of mutual marches were also monitored between the two parties, as Ukraine announced the dropping of 71 Russian marches, while Russia has said it has united 33 Ukrainian careers launched on its soil.

The United States is watching and pressing

This tour comes after a period of 50 days set by Trump to reach an agreement, otherwise harsh sanctions will be imposed on Moscow.
Although Washington’s hope is recently disappointed by Putin’s intransigence, the American administration announced the resumption of arms supplies Kiev in coordination with NATO.