Ukraine considers sending team to find out if Russian peace talks team is ‘serious’ or a ‘charade’ – report
Ukraine is thinking about sending a team to peace talks with Russia in Istanbul later today, a Ukrainian diplomatic source has told the Reuters news agency.
The team will see what Russia’s delegation, previously described by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as “theatrical”, has to say.
But it will also seek to determine whether the Russian team is empowered to take any decisions, the Ukrainian source said.
The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said if the
Russian delegation was willing to have a “serious conversation”,
the Ukrainian side might engage with the team.
But if the Russian delegation failed to show any kind of
serious approach towards the talks, “we will have the right to
conclude that this is a Russian charade, not meaningful work for
peace”, the source said.
It comes a few hours after Zelenskyy landed in Turkey’s capital of Ankara, saying he would decide what steps to take next once he met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
As we’ve been reporting, Ukraine and Russia have been scheduled to meet in Istanbul today for peace talks.
