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The Kremlin has tempered hopes of progress ahead of renewed peace talks with Ukraine set to take place in Istanbul on Wednesday, warning that negotiations would be “very difficult” after more than three years of war.
Both Russian and Ukrainian delegations have arrived in the Turkish city and are expected to meet later in the evening, according to officials from both countries and Russian state media. Previous rounds of talks held in Istanbul in May and June resulted only in agreements to exchange prisoners and repatriate the bodies of fallen soldiers.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday that no one was expecting a smooth path toward peace. “It will be very difficult,” he remarked, signalling Moscow’s firm stance and lack of optimism for a swift breakthrough.
Kyiv has expressed hope that the discussions will focus on further prisoner exchanges and possibly lay the foundation for a future meeting between President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
A source within the Ukrainian delegation told AFP that any progress would depend on Russia abandoning its “ultimatums” and adopting a more constructive approach. “This will determine whether results can be achieved,” the source said.
However, Moscow has suggested that significant groundwork is still needed before any potential talks between the two leaders can be arranged. Zelensky and Putin last met face-to-face in 2019.
The two countries remain deeply divided over what a resolution to the conflict should look like. Russia insists that Ukraine must cede the four regions Moscow claimed to have annexed in 2022 — a demand Kyiv continues to categorically reject.
Ukraine maintains that no negotiations over territory can take place until after a ceasefire is in place, and has ruled out recognising Russia’s occupation of any Ukrainian land, including Crimea, which was annexed by Moscow in 2014.
Since launching its full-scale invasion in February 2022, Russia’s offensive has devastated large parts of eastern and southern Ukraine, with tens of thousands of military and civilian casualties reported.
Ukraine’s delegation will be led by Rustem Umerov, the former defence minister who now serves as the secretary of Ukraine’s national security council. Russia’s team will once again be headed by political adviser Vladimir Medinsky, who is not considered a key decision-maker and has previously been dismissed by Ukrainian officials as a figurehead.
During the last two rounds of talks, the sides exchanged prisoner lists and presented initial draft terms for ending the war. However, Moscow described the positions as “diametrically opposed”.
The Istanbul meeting takes place under growing pressure from the United States, with President Donald Trump warning last week that Russia must agree to a peace deal by September or face sweeping sanctions.
Although Trump has sought to mediate an end to the conflict since taking office in January, he has so far failed to secure any tangible concessions from Moscow, despite multiple phone calls with President Putin.
Meanwhile, Russian forces have stepped up their offensive across various parts of the front line. Ukraine reported that Russia launched 71 drones overnight, targeting four regions, while a drone strike in the northern Sumy region disrupted power to over 220,000 residents, according to President Zelensky.
The Russian defence ministry claimed to have seized the village of Varachyne in Sumy, where its forces have reportedly been making gains in recent weeks.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has hosted previous rounds of talks, recently urged both sides to remain open to dialogue.
