Ukrainian and Russian negotiators are meeting in Turkey for face-to-face talks for the first time in two weeks, with Kyiv seeking a ceasefire without giving up territory or sovereignty.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said of the talks in Istanbul: “We are not trading people, land or sovereignty.”
“The minimum programme will be humanitarian questions, and the maximum programme is reaching an agreement on a ceasefire,” he said on national television.
But Ukrainian interior ministry adviser Vadym Denysenko said that he doubted there would be any breakthrough.
A senior US State Department official cast similar doubt on hopes for progress, saying Russian President Vladimir Putin did not appear ready to make compromises to end the war.
Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said talks so far had not yielded any substantial progress, but it was important they continued in person. He declined to give more information.
