Russia ruled out US participation in Istanbul talks at last minute - Sybiha
During a meeting in Istanbul on May 16, the Russian delegation ruled out the participation of the American side in the talks. This happened at the last minute.
This was stated by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha in an interview with the French edition of Libération, Interfax-Ukraine reports, Censor.NET informs.
"By the way, the Russian side ruled out the participation of the American side in the negotiations. It happened at the last minute. We consider this a kind of 'diplomatic slap in the face', which indicates the falsity of Moscow's intentions," the minister said.
Sybiha added that he has "always adhered to the principle that diplomacy loves silence, but I have to admit that the speech and rhetoric of the Russians have not changed."
According to him, Russians "lecture on pseudo-history because they have no other arguments."
The minister said that the Ukrainian delegation arrived at the talks with a clear agenda: a ceasefire in the air, on land and at sea. In the humanitarian block, it is the exchange of prisoners of war, the return of children and civilians. And the third element is a meeting at the level of leaders and a possible agenda for this meeting.
Speaking about the broader process of peaceful settlement, Sibiga said that Ukraine has clearly outlined its "red lines": no compromise on territorial integrity and sovereignty, Ukraine will never recognize the temporarily occupied territories as Russian, and will not accept restrictions on its defense capabilities or third-country veto power over the choice of alliances and alliances.
The Foreign Minister also said that as a precondition for a ceasefire, the Russians demanded that Western partners stop providing military assistance to Ukraine.
"Our allies clearly answered 'no' during the visit of the leaders of the 'Coalition of the Resolute' to Kyiv. This is unacceptable. Ukraine will be supported to strengthen our position. Russia also opposes the deployment of a foreign contingent in Ukraine, which could become a key element of the security system," the minister added.
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.
RosSIA 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.
