Sergey Ryabkov: Russia hopes to deal directly with Ukraine in Istanbul

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov.
Photo: TASS

Russia hopes to deal directly with Ukraine in Istanbul, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told TASS.

"Our position has been clearly stated publicly. Our representatives are getting ready for this meeting. We hope it will be held and will not be used as a PR stunt, a move typical of many capitals," he said.

The upcoming Istanbul talks will focus on reaching a sustainable peace agreement based on realities on the ground, including the territorial issues, Sergey Ryabkov said.

"These are the same issues we have raised over and over and which have been on the agenda recently: how to ensure a secure and lasting settlement of the situation, first of all through addressing the root causes of this conflict, resolving issues of the denazification of the Kiev regime, ensuring that current realities on the ground are recognized, including the accession of new territories to Russia," he told journalists.

When asked what he thought might come out of the talks, the senior Russian diplomat noted, "It is too early to make predictions." "This question should be addressed to the sponsors of the Kiev regime and Kiev itself: whether they are ready to negotiate. It’s our firm impression that, as it stands, their approach can be summed up as an inability to negotiate," he said. "We are ready to negotiate seriously and responsibly."

According to Ryabkov, Russia is discussing issues of international security and cooperation with its colleagues from Turkey, including Turkish Ambassador to Moscow Tanju Bilgic. "Our dialogue with Turkey is exceptionally intensive. It’s a key country in many respects — and we fully understand that. That’s why coordinating positions, comparing notes, as it’s called in diplomatic terms, is part of our daily work. That’s exactly what we did yesterday in our meeting with the Turkish ambassador," he added.

Speaking to reporters in the Kremlin on May 11, Russian President Vladimir Putin invited the Kiev authorities to resume the direct talks they broke off in 2022 without any preliminary conditions. He proposed to launch a dialogue on May 15 in Istanbul. The Russian leader recalled that Russia had declared ceasefires more than once but all of them, including the latest three-day V-Day truce, were violated by the Kiev regime.

Vladimir Zelensky, in turn, announced his intention to travel to Istanbul on Thursday after US President Donald Trump called on Ukraine to accept Putin’s invitation to engage in talks.

read more in our Telegram-channel https://t.me/The_International_Affairs