Ukraine-Russia talks in Istanbul: intensive consultations on several issues

OLENA ROSCHYNA - TUESDAY, 29 MARCH, 2022, 12:25

NEGOTIATIONS IN ISTANBUL, SCREENSHOT

During the talks between the Ukrainian and Russian delegations in Istanbul, the parties discussed an agreement on international security guarantees for Ukraine, a ceasefire and the resolution of humanitarian issues in Ukraine.

Source: Adviser to the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Mykhailo Podoliak at an interim briefing in Turkey

Quote: "Intensive consultations are underway on several important issues. The key one is the agreement on international security guarantees for Ukraine. Only with this agreement can we end the war as Ukraine needs it.

An equally important issue is the ceasefire so that we can address the humanitarian problems that have accumulated."

Details: Podoliak added that "today we have another problem, it is getting bigger and bigger - the problem of escalating war, escalating hatred, escalating violations of rules of warfare not only on the battlefield."

According to him, calls are sometimes being made on air to destroy certain nations; the Geneva Convention on prisoners of war is also being violated.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine will ensure that the rights of Russian prisoners of war are not violated and expect the same from the Russian side.

Podoliak stressed that both sides must abide by the conventions and stop violating them.

Background: At the negotiating table representing Ukraine: the chairman of the political party "Servant of the People", Davyd Arakhamiya, Minister of Defence Alexey Reznikov, members of parliament Andriy Kostin and Rustem Umerov, Adviser to the Head of the Office of the President  Mykhailo Podoliak, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Kyrylo Tymoshenko, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mykola Tochytsky, general Olexandr Kyryenko and diplomat and former official Olexandr Chaly.

Before the talks in Istanbul, Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich spoke with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and members of the delegations.

Davyd Arakhamiya took part in a tete-a-tete meeting of the heads of delegations with the Aide to the President of Russia Vladimir Medinsky.

Previously: The first three rounds of talks between Ukrainian and Russian delegations took place in person in Belarus on 28 February, 3 March and 7 March. Since then, the delegations have continued to work on peace proposals via video link.

On 10 March, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and Russia, Dmytro Kuleba and Serhiy Lavrov, met in Antalya, Turkey. They discussed setting up a humanitarian corridor to and from Mariupol and a general 24-hour ceasefire, but made no progress.

On 27 March, the delegations agreed to hold the next round of live talks in Turkey on 29-30 March, and the presidents of Turkey and Russia, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Vladimir Putin, agreed that a new meeting of Ukrainian and Russian delegations would take place in Istanbul.

The Foreign Minister of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba stated that the Ukrainian delegation at the talks with Russia in Turkey does not plan to discuss the referendum.

Sources in The Financial Times reported that Russia had allegedly withdrawn its demands on Ukraine regarding "de-Nazification", "demilitarization" and the status of the Russian language in Ukraine.