Putin's plan to portray Istanbul meeting as continuation of 2022 talks fails – Ukraine's foreign minister

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has summed up the meeting between the Ukrainian delegation and Russian representatives, stating that the talks in Istanbul cannot and will not serve as a justification for not increasing pressure on Russia.

Source: Sybiha on Facebook

Quote: "If we put aside all the Russian nonsense, pseudo-historical statements, provocations and so on, we have this: we managed to negotiate to bring back 1,000 of our people. That means 1,000 happy families. Even if only for this, it was all worth it. As for the ceasefire – this delegation did not have sufficient authority for that."

Details: Sybiha emphasised that Russian leader Vladimir Putin should stop avoiding a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

He also noted that "Putin's plan to present the Istanbul meeting as a continuation of March 2022 has failed, because this is already an entirely new dynamic, a new starting point."

Quote: "The conditions and realities are now different. And a key factor is the United States and the peace efforts of President Donald Trump. Ukraine will continue to stick to its line and achieve its goals. To bring people back, add calm, security and peace. This is a key priority. And strengthening Ukraine and our defence capability continues and will continue. That is the main thing."

Background: 

• On 16 May, for the first time in over three years, direct talks were held in Istanbul between Russian and Ukrainian delegations.
• Following the meeting, Ukraine's Defence Minister Rustem Umierov said the discussions had covered the ceasefire, humanitarian issues and a potential leader-level meeting.
• Ukraine's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi stated that during the negotiations in Istanbul on Friday, the Russian side made statements that were unacceptable to Ukraine. He declined, however, to specify what exactly they were.

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