Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
ANKARA, May 15 (Xinhua) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said at a press conference held at the Ukrainian Embassy in Turkey on Thursday that he will not personally participate in the talks with the Russian side in Istanbul, but the Ukrainian side will send a high-level delegation to them.
V. Zelensky arrived in Ankara at midday on May 15, after which he held several hours of closed-door talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at his residence. He then made the above statement at a press conference at the Ukrainian embassy.
He said that the Ukrainian delegation would be headed by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and would include representatives of military and intelligence agencies. It is not yet clear when the talks will take place – May 15 or 16.
The head of the Russian delegation to the talks with Ukraine, Vladimir Medinsky, said on Thursday: “We view these talks as a continuation of the peace process in Istanbul, which, unfortunately, was interrupted by the Ukrainian side three years ago. Our official delegation has been approved by a presidential decree, and it has all the necessary competencies and powers to conduct negotiations.”
“The delegation is set on a constructive mood, on finding possible solutions and points of contact. The goal of direct negotiations with the Ukrainian side is to sooner or later establish long-term peace by eliminating the basic root causes of the conflict,” the head of the Russian delegation emphasized. –0–