TURKEY, ISTANBUL, May 16 — Оn May 16, Ukrainian delegation meets with Russian representatives in Istanbul without agreeing on a full 30-day ceasefire. Moscow demands full withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the four regions of Ukraine that the Kremlin claims as part of Russia.

On May 11, Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, proposed to hold peace talks in Turkey. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian president, agreed and invited Putin for a face-to-face meeting, who declined to attend. The two countries met in the format of delegations headed by the Defence Minister of Ukraine Rustem Umerov on the Ukrainian side and the politician Vladimir Medinsky on the Russian side.

When the negotiations started, Umerov said that Ukraine was ready for a full and unconditional 30-day ceasefire and for direct negotiations at the highest level.

The talks between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul began at 1:38 p.m. with the Turkish side participating and ended less than two hours after starting.

“This week, we had a real chance to make important steps towards ending this war, if only Putin hadn’t been afraid to come to Turkey. It is obvious that the Russian delegation that arrived in Istanbul is of a very low level. Ukraine is ready to take all realistic steps to end this war. I want Putin to give his delegation real powers,” Zelenskyy said immediately after the talks.

The Russian and Ukrainian delegates agreed to hold a new meeting, said Hakan Fidan, the Turkish Foreign Minister.

However, a Ukrainian source, Sky News, said that Russia’s demands are “unrealistic and go far beyond anything that has been discussed before.”

Oliver Carroll, the Economist journalist, reported that during the negotiations, the Russian delegation threatened to occupy Kharkiv and Sumy if Ukraine did not withdraw its troops from four regions: Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, and Luhansk.

Also, both sides reached an agreement on the 1,000-for-1,000 exchange of prisoners of war, said Umerov.

He also said that a meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin is being discussed.

After the negotiations, Zelenskyy said that he and several high-ranking European leaders had a phone conversation with the US President Donald Trump.

“Our position is that if the Russians refuse a complete and unconditional ceasefire and killings, there must be strong sanctions. The pressure on Russia must be maintained until Russia is ready to end the war,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian military sees an accumulation of force and activation of assaults from Russia. On May 16, the General Staff reported on Russian forces’ recent activity. Russia conducted six offensives on the Kharkiv axis and four attacks on the Kupiansk axis.

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