Russia-Ukraine peace talks end after less than 2 hours, officials say
The between Russia and Ukraine since the early weeks of Moscow맥스카지노s 2022 invasion ended Friday after less than two hours, according to the Turkish Foreign Ministry and a senior Ukrainian official.
Kyiv accused the Kremlin of introducing new 맥스카지노unacceptable demands맥스카지노 to withdraw Ukrainian forces from huge swaths of territory, according to the official, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to make official statements.
The demands had not been previously discussed, the official said.
He said the Ukrainian side reiterated it remained focused on achieving real progress 맥스카지노 an immediate ceasefire and a pathway to substantive diplomacy, 맥스카지노just like the U.S., European partners, and other countries proposed,맥스카지노 the official added.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry also said in a statement that the session ended.
The two sides sat at a U-shaped table but remained in their conditions for ending the war. U.S. President Donald Trump, who has pressed both Moscow and Kyiv for an end to the conflict, saying would happen 맥스카지노as soon as we can set it up.맥스카지노
맥스카지노I think it맥스카지노s time for us to just do it,맥스카지노 Trump told reporters in Abu Dhabi as he wrapped up a trip to the Middle East.
In Istanbul, a Ukrainian delegation led by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov sat opposite a low-level Russian team headed by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, according to Ukraine맥스카지노s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi, who published a photo of the meeting.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan had opened the session by urging the parties 맥스카지노to take advantage of this opportunity,맥스카지노 adding that it was "critically important that the ceasefire happens as soon as possible.맥스카지노
Maneuvering ahead of talks
Both countries engaged in diplomatic maneuvering this week as they tried to show Trump that they are eager to negotiate, although he has expressed frustration over the slow progress and threatened to punish foot-dragging.
On Thursday, Putin spurned an offer by Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy to meet face-to-face in Turkey. Zelenskyy accused Moscow of not making a serious effort to end the war by sending a low-level delegation.
Ukraine has accepted a U.S. and European proposal for a , but Putin has effectively rejected it by imposing far-reaching conditions.
Commenting on a possible Trump-Putin meeting, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov appeared to indicate that momentum for such a summit is building. He told reporters that top-level talks were 맥스카지노certainly needed,맥스카지노 but added that preparing a summit would take time.
Fighting continues
Meantime, Russian forces are preparing , Ukrainian government and Western military analysts say.
A Friday morning drone attack on the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kupiansk killed a 55-year-old woman and wounded four men, Oleh Syniehubov, head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration, said. All the victims worked for a municipal utility.
Russia맥스카지노s invasion has killed more than 12,000 Ukrainian civilians, the U.N. says, and razed towns and villages. Tens of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers have died, and likely a larger number of Russian troops, officials and analysts say.
On the battlefield, one Ukrainian soldier said he wasn맥스카지노t hopeful that the talks would bring a swift end to the war.
맥스카지노I don맥스카지노t think they will agree on anything concrete, because summer is the best time for war,맥스카지노 he said, using only the call sign 맥스카지노Corsair,맥스카지노 in keeping with the rules of the Ukrainian military. 맥스카지노The enemy is trying to constantly escalate the situation.맥스카지노
But he told AP that many of his comrades 맥스카지노believe that by the end of the year there will be peace, albeit an unstable one, but peace.맥스카지노
Before the talks began, Ukrainian officials met with national security advisers from the U.S., France, Germany and the United Kingdom to coordinate positions, a senior Ukrainian official told AP, speaking on condition of anonymity to talk about sensitive matters.
The U.S. team was led by retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, Trump맥스카지노s special envoy to Ukraine and Russia, while Umerov and presidential office chief Andriy Yermak represented Ukraine, the official said.
A three-way meeting between Turkey, the U.S. and Ukraine also took place, Turkish Foreign Ministry officials said. The U.S. side included Secretary of State Marco Rubio as well as Kellogg.
On Thursday, Rubio said 맥스카지노we don맥스카지노t have high expectations of what will happen맥스카지노 at the Russia-Ukraine talks.
He said he believed a breakthrough was only possible is a meeting between Trump and Putin.
Zelenskyy, meantime, was in Tirana, Albania, for a meeting with leaders of 47 European countries to discuss security, defense and democratic standards against the backdrop of the war.
맥스카지노If the Russian representatives in Istanbul today cannot even agree to that, to (a) ceasefire, to this clearly necessary first step, then it will be 100% clear that Putin continues to undermine diplomacy," Zelenskyy said. "If that맥스카지노s not the case, there must be at least some result today, starting with a ceasefire.맥스카지노
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Associated Press writer Aamer Madhani in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed.