Budrys on talks in Turkey: Russia is just stalling for time
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys expressed the opinion that the Russian delegation arrived in Istanbul not to seek a real deal, but to stall for time.
According to Censor.NET, this was reported by LRT with reference to the broadcast of Zinių radijas radio station.
"The main question is probably whether these are real negotiations or an imitation and delay of a certain process. Judging by the way the preparations were made and the way the Russian negotiating delegation was selected, it looks more like an attempt to stall than to sit down and reach an agreement. Because neither the mandate with which they came was clear, nor was there a clear schedule of how everything would go," the head of Lithuanian diplomacy said.
Budrys noted that by agreeing to the talks, Moscow is trying to avoid serious sanctions that the European Union and the United States promised to impose if it does not agree to the ceasefire proposal. He emphasized that the new package of sanctions would apply to Russian financial institutions and energy companies.
"The main revenue that goes to the Russian budget is the export of liquefied natural gas and oil," Budrys said.
The minister emphasized that the West can no longer allow Russia to "fool itself".
"Firstly, there must be a ceasefire, Russia must stop military operations in all military spheres - on land, at sea, in the air, stop attacks on civilian infrastructure, agree on a format for negotiations and move forward," Budrys said.
Negotiations in Turkey
On the night of May 11, Putin offered to resume direct talks with Ukraine "without any preconditions" in Turkey on May 15.
US President Donald Trump said that Ukraine should immediately agree to Russia's proposal for direct talks in Turkey.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that he would personally wait for Putin on May 15. He also noted that he wants Trump to be present in Turkey as well.
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin officially approves the composition of the delegation that will travel to Istanbul for talks with Ukraine on May 15.
On May 15, a Russian delegation arrived in Istanbul for talks with Ukraine.
It later became known that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would send a Ukrainian delegation to Istanbul for talks with the Russian side.
Russian media later reported that the talks between the delegations of Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul had been postponed to May 16.
On the evening of May 15, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy approved the composition of the Ukrainian delegation to participate in the negotiations with Russia in Turkey, scheduled for May 15-16.
On May 16, in the afternoon, a meeting between the Ukrainian and Russian delegations began with the participation of the Turkish side.
In less than two hours, the meeting between the delegations of Ukraine, Russia, and Turkey in Istanbul on May 16 ended.
