Kremlin comments on possible changes to Kiev’s negotiation team
The Kremlin has commented on possible changes to Ukraine’s negotiating team, following reports that the personnel representing Kiev in Istanbul lacked experience and ability to draft memoranda at the highest level.
“All nuances matter” in high-stake diplomatic interactions, including direct peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told RIA Novosti on Friday.
The meeting, mediated by Türkiye, marked the first such engagement since 2022, when Ukraine unilaterally withdrew support for a draft peace agreement in favor of pursuing a military victory.
A source quoted by TASS news agency on Wednesday claimed that the Ukrainian team lacked professional politicians capable of drafting a memorandum outlining a roadmap toward a truce, which Moscow says should be hammered out at this stage.
The talks followed pressure from the administration of US President Donald Trump, which had refused to back Kiev’s stance that Russia must first agree to an unconditional 30-day ceasefire. The Ukrainian delegation was led by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and included a deputy foreign minister and several military officials of similar rank.
A report published by Bloomberg on Thursday citing anonymous sources claimed that Washington has reservations about “hardliners” in the Russian team, such as presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky.
Meanwhile on Friday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov expressed skepticism over Trump’s suggestion that the Vatican could host the next round of negotiations. Lavrov remarked that choosing the seat of the Catholic Church for discussions between two Orthodox Christian nations would be “inelegant,” especially given Kiev’s crackdown on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which is viewed as a serious atrocity in Moscow.
Moscow and Kiev have yet to agree on the location for the next meeting.
