Moscow open to raising level of negotiations with Ukraine - Putin

The Russian president says he has been “satisfied” with the performance of the country’s negotiators in the Istanbul talks

Moscow is open to bringing the direct negotiations with Ukraine to “a truly high political level,” Russian President Vladimir Putin has said.

The president made the remarks on Wednesday during a Q&A session with the media, which concluded his four-day visit to China.

Asked about the performance of the Russian negotiating team during talks hosted by Türkiye, Putin spoke highly about the group and its head, presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, in particular.

“I am satisfied with Medinsky’s work. If there is a need to do something regarding raising the level [of negotiations], bringing it to a political level, we are ready for it,” Putin said, refusing to name any officials who could potentially participate in such talks.

Russia’s negotiating team has become an example of a “reserved, professional approach,” the president said.

Direct talks between Moscow and Kiev resumed in Türkiye early this year. The negotiating team has been headed by Medinsky, who also led the ultimately unsuccessful effort to settle the conflict through diplomacy, attempted in early 2022 shortly after the hostilities broke out.

Several rounds of the resumed talks have not yielded any major breakthrough but have allowed the two sides to make certain progress with regard to various humanitarian issues. Namely, Moscow and Kiev held multiple major prisoner swaps, as well as exchanged bodies of fallen soldiers.

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