Peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia in Turkey – Politics

Ukrainian sources said that Russia and Ukraine will start a new round of peace talks in Turkey on Monday. “During today’s video conference call, it was decided to hold the next round in person in Turkey from March 28-30,” Ukrainian negotiator David Arachhamiya wrote on Facebook on Sunday. Negotiations at the ministerial level had already taken place in Antalya on March 10, but they did not make tangible progress.

Russia’s chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said on Friday that negotiations had made no progress on key issues. “The positions agree on minor points. But we are not making any progress on the main political issues,” Medinsky was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying.

Moscow insists on signing a “complete agreement” that takes into account its demands for neutrality, disarmament and “disarmament” of Ukraine, as well as recognition of Russian sovereignty in Russia-occupied Crimea and the independence of the two pro-Russian “republics”. In eastern Ukraine, Medinsky coined it as well.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba also described the negotiations on Friday as “extremely difficult”. The Ukrainian delegation insisted on “first and foremost a ceasefire, security guarantees and the territorial integrity of Ukraine”.

Meanwhile, the head of Ukraine’s military intelligence service fears a split in Ukraine along the lines of North and South Korea. Kirillo Budanov wrote on Facebook that Russia had “failed in its attempt to seize Kyiv and overthrow the Ukrainian government.” Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin is shifting strategy, and the partition of Ukraine may be one of his goals.

“There are reasons to believe that he wants to create a dividing line between the occupied and non-occupied areas of our country – an attempt to create South and North Korea in Ukraine,” said the head of the GUR military intelligence service, referring to Putin, referring to Putin.

Budanov’s comments came two days after the Russian military announced that it would focus on “liberating” the Donbass region in eastern Ukraine. The Ukrainian army had previously announced significant territorial gains, including in the Kyiv metropolitan area.