Expert Explains What to Expect from Third Round of Ukraine-Russia Talks

Ukraine's strike against Russia's strategic aviation has ‘shuffled the cards’ ahead of the second round of negotiations between the delegations in Istanbul. Kyiv will continue to engage in dialogue with Moscow only from a position of strength, refusing to accept the conditions imposed by the Kremlin, said Oleh Lisnyy, president of the Policy Analytical Centre.

The Gaze reports on this with reference to FREEDOM TV channel broadcast.

According to Lisnyy, Russia will continue to take a tough stance in the third round of negotiations, which may take place in Istanbul in the near future. Previous meetings in Turkey have shown that the aggressor country is unwilling to seek real compromises.

"I see this as consultations; it is difficult to call the meeting in Istanbul negotiations. On the Russian side, this is another episode of a game for one spectator, namely US President Donald Trump. Ukraine is demonstrating its constructiveness, bringing a delegation that can discuss both military and humanitarian issues. Meanwhile, Russia is sending a bunch of low-level officials who haven't made any decisions in ages," the speaker said.

Ukraine is ready to hold a new round of talks with the Russian delegation anywhere, but it needs to be a constructive discussion.

‘The Russian side will agree to a third round of negotiations, but it is not ready for anything constructive, it can only imitate it. However, we are already familiar with this age-old method of Russian diplomacy. They talk about trifles and secondary issues, while keeping silent about everything essential,’ said Lisnyy.

Russia may accuse Ukraine of disrupting the agreements, creating traps in the new stage of negotiations, the political scientist believes.

"The Russian Federation does not plan to disrupt the negotiations; it wants to make it possible to accuse Ukraine of disruption. And if that does not work, then to continue this endless dialogue so that US mediation ends. This, according to the aggressor country, will allow it to do whatever it wants. At the same time, the Russian Federation does not want the United States to turn away from it. Therefore, we will soon see hypocrisy and a desire to show Ukraine as guilty again," he emphasised.

Further work between the Ukrainian and Russian delegations makes sense, Lisnyy noted. But only if it is aimed at preparing a meeting at the leadership level.

As The Gaze reported earlier, delegations from Ukraine and Russia reached an agreement on a new prisoner exchange during talks in Istanbul, Turkey, on Monday. Ukraine also proposed a meeting between the leaders between 20 and 30 June. At the same time, no progress was made on the issue of a ceasefire. This was announced at a briefing by Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, who heads the Ukrainian delegation.