Istanbul/Oslo (VG) Representatives of Russia and Ukraine will meet on Tuesday for negotiations. Ukraine’s foreign minister warns against eating or drinking anything during his meetings with Russia.
On the 34th day of the war in Ukraine, representatives from Ukraine and Russia will meet for the fourth round of peace talks. This is the first time in two weeks that the actors meet physically again, after the country’s foreign ministers Met earlier this month.
The talks are being held at the historic Dolmabahce Palace.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will speak to both delegations before the negotiations. He says he hopes the talks have given increasing hope for peace and are beneficial to both parties.
Erdogan also demands an immediate ceasefire and believes that both sides should take responsibility to stop the tragedy.
He refers to both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin as “important friends”.
Ukrainian demands
Expectations that the talks will lead to some change in the situation are low.
experts Do not believe in any imminent end to the Ukraine war He points out that the Russian statements that they will now focus on the Donbass region may be a deception.
One of President Zelensky’s closest advisers, Mikhailo Podoljak, who is involved in the negotiations, wrote Ukraine’s claim on Twitter:
Unconditional security guarantees of Ukraine, ceasefire, effective decisions on humanitarian corridors and humanitarian convoys, compliance with martial law and. Party habits. Difficult negotiations for peace in our country. Write a tour of Istanbul now.
In a video address on Tuesday evening, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asked Western partner countries Escalation of sanctions against Russia.
Notice of alerts
Before 09.30 Norwegian time, Ukrainian media reported that talks were underway, according to Reuters.
This morning, VG is outside the palace, which since 1865 has been the administrative center of the Ottoman Empire. The palace is located on the busy Besiktas Street and the Bosphorus.
At one end of the palace small schoolchildren queue to enter the museum, and at the other end are armed guards in camouflage suits, flak jackets, and automatic weapons. Armored vehicles with water cannons on their roofs are standing outside the palace.
The Russian and Ukrainian delegations arrived this morning inside the gates of the white painted iron fence to start the talks. Dozens of photography teams and journalists from around the world are waiting for the results after negotiations.
Vladimir Medinsky, a foreign policy adviser close to Putin, will make a statement After the end of peace talks with Ukraine in Istanbul.
While negotiations are ongoing, the Kremlin said in a statement that we will know if the negotiations are promising today or tomorrow.
1 of 2Photo: Matisse Sandblad, VJ
Eating is not encouraged
On Monday, The Wall Street Journal and Belinkat wrote that Chelsea club owner Roman Abramovich and two Ukrainian traders You must have symptoms of poisoning After peace talks in early March. No one should suffer life-threatening injuries.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba issued a special warning to the representatives:
I recommend to everyone who enters into negotiations with Russia not to eat or drink anything. It is preferable not to touch any surfaces, according to him Sky News.
At the same time, he points out that there are many rumors and unconfirmed stories now because people are thirsty for news.
Russians RIA Novosti news agency A photo of Abramovich’s meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan before the negotiations was published. Reuters has received confirmation from two sources that Abramovich will attend peace talks in Istanbul on Tuesday.
It is not clear whether Abramovich will participate in the negotiations. In a video, he is shown present but not at the negotiating table.
According to the Kremlin, Abramovich is not an official member of the Russian delegation. The Kremlin also claimed on Tuesday that reports of the poisoning had no roots in reality, describing it as part of an “information war.”
He must have dropped the claims
Before the new peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, Moscow She dropped three of her original claimsincluding “de-Nazification” of Ukraine, according to the Financial Times.
At the same time, Russia is reported to be willing to allow Ukraine to join the European Union if it does not join a military alliance – that is, for Ukraine to give up its desire for NATO membership.
According to Financial Times sources, the draft does not contain the words “de-Nazification”, “disarmament” or legal protection of the Russian language in Ukraine – three of Russia’s original main demands regarding the invasion of the neighboring country.
you won’t bargain
He. She And the Russian general, Sergei Rudskoy, has said so now He will focus on “liberating the Donbass”. At the same time, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky He is open to compromise About Donbass specifically.
At the same time, Zelensky previously said that any concessions with Russia in negotiations to end the war, It should be the subject of a referendum among the Ukrainian people.
A senior US government source told Reuters that Russian President Vladimir Putin was reluctant to make concessions to end the war.
– The source says that everything we have seen so far indicates that he is not ready to make concessions at the moment.
Correction: An earlier version of the case stated that negotiations were taking place at Topkapi Palace. The right thing is that the talks are taking place at the Dolmapachi Palace. Status changed on 09.15, 29.03.2022.
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