Ankara - Saba:
Halil Korkmaz, Deputy Chairman of the Foreign Relations Department of the Turkish Justice and Development Party (AKP), predicted on Wednesday that the potential negotiation process between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul would continue for more than one round, indicating that there could be a series of meetings.
Russian news agency Sputnik quoted Korkmaz as saying, in response to a question about whether the upcoming meeting in Istanbul on May 15 might not be the final one, that "it is very likely that after the negotiations conclude, an agreement will be reached to continue the process (negotiations) in order to end the conflice."
He added, "There may be a second and third meeting. This cannot be ruled out. Everything will depend on the results (of the first possible meeting on May 15)."
Russian President Vladimir Putin had previously offered Ukraine to resume direct negotiations without preconditions in Istanbul, Turkey, on May 15, and did not rule out the possibility that the two sides might reach a ceasefire agreement during those negotiations.
Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia is determined to seriously explore ways to reach a long-term peaceful settlement.
According to him, the goals of the proposed negotiations with Ukraine are to eliminate the root causes of the conflict and protect Russia's interests.
In response, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has once again begun to put forward conditions previously described as unacceptable in Moscow, insisting that Moscow agree to a complete ceasefire starting May 12, and only then will the Kyiv regime sit at the negotiating table.
| more of (International) |