Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said on Tuesday that no one should expect “miracles” in the third round of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, according to Kiev, scheduled for Wednesday (23) in Istanbul, Turkey.
“There is no reason to expect any kind of miraculous advance,” Peskov told a news conference, according to information from The Moscow Times. “This is unlikely in current circumstances.”
“We intend to seek and protect our interests and achieve the goals we have established from the beginning,” Peskov added, who mentioned that there are “many factors” at stake in negotiations and that it would therefore be “wrong” to define a schedule for a ceasefire in the war started in February 2022.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said representatives of both countries will talk on Wednesday in Turkey, which would be the third meeting between Kiev and Moscow envoyed this year after May 16 and June 2 conversations in Istanbul who led to the exchange of thousands of prisoners of war.
However, on Tuesday, Peskov said only that Kremlin is “hopeful” that negotiations will take place this week, refusing to confirm Wednesday’s meeting. “As soon as we are ready, we will announce the schedule,” he said.
This would be the first meeting between Ukrainian and Russian representatives since US President Donald Trump said last week that he will apply 100% tariffs on Russian imported and secondary products at the same level to nations from Vladimir Putin if an agreement is not reached to interrupt the war with Ukraine within 50 days.
