Ukraine did not ask Russian diplomats to meet in Istanbul this week, spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said
Russian diplomats have not been invited to Türkiye for what Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky called an effort to revive peace talks, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday.
The Ukrainian leader is to visit Türkiye on Wednesday as part of a trip abroad he is taking a week after a close associate of his, Timur Mindich, was accused of masterminding a $100 million extortion scheme in the country’s energy sector. Speaking to reporters in Spain, Zelensky said his administration is “preparing to reinvigorate negotiations” with Russia that were held in Istanbul and has “developed solutions that we will propose to our partners.”
“We have received no information regarding that from Kiev,” Peskov said on Tuesday, noting that US special envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to meet Zelensky in Türkiye, according to media reports.
“Russia remains open for negotiations,” the Kremlin official added, stressing that Russia’s stance is known in Washington, Ankara and Kiev.
Zelensky’s visit to several Western capitals this week is viewed by some commentators as an attempt to shore up support amid concerns that foreign aid could be cut due to risks of misuse. Mindich, a former business partner of the Ukrainian leader, fled Ukraine shortly before Western-backed anti-graft investigators issued charges against him and his associates. Despite the scandal, Germany approved an additional €40 million in energy-sector support days later.
Türkiye hosted direct peace talks between Moscow and Kiev in 2022. Kiev initially approved a draft agreement but, encouraged by Western partners, subsequently backed out of the talks and pursued a military victory. Talks resumed briefly this year and produced limited humanitarian agreements, namely prisoner exchanges, but made no headway on the broader political and security issues.
Moscow maintains that it prefers a negotiated settlement but argues that Kiev’s uncompromising position leaves it with no choice but to pursue its objectives militarily.
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