Representatives of the Russian delegation during negotiations in Istanbul threatened to seize two more regions of Ukraine. This was reported on the social network "X" by The Economist reporter Oliver Carroll, UNN reports.
Details
According to the reporter, the Russians threatened to completely seize the Kharkiv and Sumy regions if Ukraine did not withdraw its troops from the territories of the Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk and Kherson regions, which the Kremlin partially occupied and included in the constitution of the Russian Federation back in 2022.
A well-informed source tells me that Russia said it would agree to a ceasefire only if Ukraine left the four "annexed" regions it does not fully control. Moscow also threatened to seize two more: Kharkiv and Sumy
Let us remind you
On May 16, negotiations took place in Istanbul between Ukraine and Russia. These were the first direct negotiations in more than three years since the full-scale invasion. They ended about two hours after the start.
Earlier, a Ukrainian diplomatic source reported in a comment to the media that Russia's demands at the Istanbul talks are "unrealistic."
At the same time, as noted by Mykhailo Podolyak, advisor to the Office of the President of Ukraine, Russia is not interested in real negotiations, but only imitates them, while attacking Ukrainian cities. He also called for a tough enforcement of peace on the Russian Federation.
This position was confirmed by the head of the Russian delegation, Vladimir Medinsky. During the negotiations, he stated that the Kremlin is ready to fight as long as it takes. As an example, he cited the Russian-Swedish war, which lasted 21 years, from 1700 to 1721.