Head of Delegation Says Russia Wants to Achieve Peace with Ukraine

JAKARTA - The head of the Russian delegation in peace talks with Ukraine in Turkey, Vladimir Medinsky, said Moscow's goal is to achieve long-term peace with Kyiv, find common ground and eliminate the causes of the conflict.

Medinsky, who helped lead the failed 2022 talks, said Russia views the planned talks in Istanbul as a continuation of the failed 2022 talks.

"We view these talks as a continuation of the peace process in Istanbul, which, unfortunately, was stopped by the Ukrainian side three years ago," Medinsky told reporters in Istanbul, as reported by Reuters on May 16.

Kyiv said the conditions offered by Russia in 2022 were unacceptable and would be considered a capitulation.

"The delegation is determined to be constructive, to find possible solutions and common ground. The task of direct negotiations with the Ukrainian side is sooner or later to achieve long-term peace by eliminating the basic root causes of the conflict," Medinsky explained.

Days after Russian President Vladimir Putin sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in February 2022, Russia and Ukraine began talks in Belarus that later moved to Istanbul, Turkey.

A draft under consideration there that set out a framework for a possible settlement is known as the “Istanbul Communique.”

The 2022 talks broke down in May, but Russian officials have long argued that a settlement could be reached along the lines of the Istanbul Communique.

Separately, Steve Witkoff, a special envoy for US President Donald Trump, also referred to the 2022 draft as a possible guide for future peace.

Under the draft, a copy of which Reuters has reviewed, Ukraine is asked to agree to permanent neutrality in exchange for international security guarantees from the five permanent members of the UN Security Council: Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States, and other countries including Belarus, Canada, Germany, Israel, Poland and Turkey.