ISTANBUL: Ukrainian and Russian negotiators met in Turkey on Tuesday for the first face-to-face talks in nearly three weeks, as Ukraine seek a ceasefire without compromising on territory or sovereignty after its forces push Russians back from Kyiv.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan welcomed delegations from both sides at an Istanbul palace, saying “stopping this tragedy” was up to them. Ukrainian television reported the talks had begun with “a cold welcome” and no handshake.
Ukraine and the United States hold little hope of an immediate breakthrough. The resumption of face-to-face talks is an important first step towards a ceasefire in a Russian invasion stalled on most fronts but inflicting horrible suffering on civilians trapped in besieged cities.
More than a month into the war, more than 3.8 million people have fled abroad, thousands have been killed and injured, and Russia’s economy has been pummelled by sanctions. In the southern port city of Mariupol, besieged by Russian forces since the war’s early days, nearly 5,000 people have been killed, including 210 children.
Ukrainian forces have made advances in recent days, recapturing territory from Russian troops on the outskirts of Kyiv, in the northeast, and in the south, as Moscow’s invasion has stalled in the face of strong resistance.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said of the talks in Turkey: “We are not trading people, land or sovereignty. The minimum programme will be humanitarian questions, and the maximum programme is reaching an agreement on a ceasefire,” he said on national television.
Russia’s Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said Russia had largely completed the first phase of its military assault, degraded Ukraine’s military capabilities and would now focus on areas claimed by separatists in the southeast.
Moscow made a similar declaration late last week, interpreted in the West as a sign it was giving up on initial aims of toppling the government in Kyiv after failing to seize the capital.
A senior US State Department official said Russian President Vladimir Putin did not appear ready to make compromises to end the war.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said talks so far had not yielded any substantial progress but it was important they continued in person.
Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich was in the Dolmabahce palace in Istanbul where the talks took place. He has tried to act as a go-between, including during a trip early in the conflict when he and several Ukrainian negotiators are said to have fallen ill.
