French Foreign Minister: No Progress In Russia-Ukraine Peace Talks

JAKARTA - Peace talks between Russia and Ukraine that took place in Istanbul, Turkey last Tuesday were deemed not to have brought significant progress in easing tensions between the two countries, according to France's top diplomat.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian in an interview with the newspaper Le Figaro assessed that there had been no breakthrough in Moscow's peace process with Kyiv.

"I don't see any signs of a real and long-term change in Russia's position," he said.

"Although its forces are moving more slowly than the Kremlin expected, at the moment I don't see any significant setbacks or ceasefires," Le Drian added.

"The so-called silent regime that Russia announced for several hours in Mariupol yesterday is clearly not enough," the top French diplomat stressed.

Jean-Yves Le Drian further explained that French President Emmanuel Macron plans to maintain dialogue with Russian leader Vladimir Putin to help resolve the Ukraine crisis.

When asked whether President Macron should maintain dialogue with President Putin, he replied in agreement.

"Yes, because we need to show tenacity and determination to create a relationship that will one day help build a dialogue between President Putin and (Ukrainian President) Zelensky."

As previously reported, positive news came from Istanbul, Turkey where peace talks between Russia and Ukraine were held Tuesday, with Russia pledging to reduce its military operations and Ukraine proposing a neutral status.

"In order to increase mutual trust and create the necessary conditions for further negotiations, achieving the ultimate goal of agreeing and signing (a) agreement, the decision was made to radically, by a large margin, reduce military activity in the direction of Kyiv and Chernihiv," the deputy said. Russian Defense Minister Alexander Fomin in Istanbul.

Meanwhile, Ukraine's proposal at the talks is the most detailed that has been publicly aired by both sides.

Ukrainian negotiators said that under their proposal, Ukraine would agree not to join the alliance or host foreign troop bases, but would have guaranteed security in terms similar to 'Article 5', NATO's collective defense clause.

In this regard, Ukraine identified Israel and NATO members Canada, Poland, and Turkey as countries that could help provide such assurances. Russia, USA, UK, Germany, and Italy can also provide guarantees.

The proposal would include a 15-year consultation period on Russia's annexed Crimea status, and could only take effect in the event of a complete ceasefire, negotiators said.

As for the fate of the southeastern Donbas region, which Russia demands that Ukraine be handed over to the separatists, it will be set aside for discussion by the Ukrainian and Russian leaders, they added. Any peace deal would require a referendum in Ukraine.

"If we succeed in consolidating these key provisions, then Ukraine will be in a position to actually improve its current status as a non-aligned and non-nuclear state in the form of permanent neutrality," said Ukrainian delegate Oleksander Chaly.

"We will not host foreign military bases on our territory, as well as deploy military contingents on our territory, and we will not enter into military-political alliances," he said. Meanwhile, military exercises will be carried out with the approval of the guarantor countries.