Ukraine Declares Istanbul Negotiation Format “Exhausted,” Accuses Russia of Ultimatums
Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs asserts that substantive negotiations with Russia in Istanbul were largely nonexistent, characterized instead by uncompromising demands from the Russian delegation. The assessment casts doubt on the future of diplomatic efforts to resolve the ongoing conflict.
Kyiv officials state that while representatives from both countries were present at meetings in Istanbul, the Russian side presented what they termed “ultimatums” rather than engaging in genuine negotiation. According to Sergey Kislitsa, First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, the Russian approach wasn’t even a traditional “maximalist” strategy, where multiple options are explored to achieve ambitious goals. “It was a situation when at the first and second Istanbul meetings the Russian side put forward its ultimatical demands,” Kislitsa explained in an interview with The Kyiv Independent. “They did not even have a mandate to listen to your arguments and look for a common language.”
Ukraine’s negotiating position centered around three key objectives: a complete ceasefire, the creation of conditions for a direct meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin, and measures to build trust, including humanitarian initiatives like prisoner exchanges. However, Kislitsa revealed that Russian representatives consistently rejected a ceasefire prior to any potential meeting between the two leaders.
Despite the lack of substantive negotiation, some limited dialogue did occur, primarily focused on humanitarian concerns. “At least a conversation took place… I wouldn’t even call it negotiations, but rather a dialogue,” Kislitsa noted. He recalled an instance during the first Istanbul meeting where a Russian representative expressed a need to secure a tangible outcome, stating, “I cannot leave the room empty-handed. We must at least agree on the exchange of prisoners.”
Kislitsa believes the Istanbul format has reached its limit unless the Russian delegation receives a revised mandate from Putin. He drew parallels to the stalled Minsk process, suggesting that without a genuine commitment to compromise, further meetings will prove unproductive. “They bureaucrates the process in such a way that when you say Putin: ‘We should meet,’ he replies: ‘Why? Experts work,’” Kislitsa stated, adding that the same justification is offered to American counterparts: “You see, we sit down at the negotiating table with Ukrainians.”
President Zelenskyy has previously indicated that the continuation of negotiations hinges on the completion of prisoner exchanges agreed upon in Istanbul on June 2. Following that, Ukraine is prepared to discuss potential avenues for a leaders’ summit.
The Vatican has offered to host negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, with Pope Leo XIV expressing a desire for a “fair and long world” following a recent meeting with Zelenskyy. However, Moscow has reportedly rejected the Vatican’s proposal for a leaders’ meeting, according to Zelenskyy, who affirmed Ukraine’s commitment to bolstering international support for diplomatic solutions.
