The first round of talks between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul has concluded, and the negotiations, according to the Ukrainian side, are already at a standstill.

Moscow is making "unacceptable demands" to derail the negotiations , a Ukrainian diplomat told AFP. In particular, a Ukrainian delegation official said, "Moscow is demanding that Kiev cede territory before the ceasefire."

Russia, however, has a different opinion, with the head of the delegation Vladimir Medinsky reporting that an exchange of a thousand prisoners per side has been agreed . The two sides also agreed that each "should present its own vision of a possible ceasefire and considered it appropriate to continue negotiations. " Medinsky, in short, said he was "satisfied" with the results of today's negotiations .

The agreement on the exchange of prisoners was also confirmed by the Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, head of the Kiev delegation: " The purpose of our talks was to discuss a ceasefire, an exchange of prisoners and we are also potentially preparing a meeting at the level of leaders of the countries ", therefore between Putin and Zelensky. A meeting explicitly requested by Kiev. "This is how it should be", said Umerov. "We will evaluate", was the answer limited to the head of the Russian delegation Medinsky.

The meeting between the delegations, the first since the beginning of 2022, immediately after Russia launched the attack, lasted about an hour and 20 minutes. The Ukrainian delegation left Istanbul.

Meanwhile, before the talks began, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for a "strong reaction" from the international community if the talks failed . "If it turns out that the Russian delegation is just there to make a good impression and fails to achieve any results today, then everyone will have to answer for it," he said from Tirana. "There must be a strong reaction, including sanctions on the energy sector and banks ," he added.

(Unioneonline/L)

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