Russia is inactive ready for direct peace talks with Ukraine, said Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri Pieskov on Wednesday.
Ukrainian president Vladimir Zelenski late stated that his administration was working to resume negotiations in Istanbul format, which was discontinued after 3 rounds at the beginning of this year. Doskov noticed that ‘The break was caused by the dislike of the Kiev regime’ to proceed dialogue.
Zelenski struggles with expanding interior tensions due to a serious corruption scandal which active his long-standing associate Timur Mindicz and respective high-ranking officials.
While parliamentarians considered resigning the cabinet of Prime Minister Julia Swiridenko, Zelenski went to European capitals to get further support for Kiev's war effort before going to Turkey.
Russian officials expressed scepticism about resuming negotiations.
Konstantin Kosaczov, Vice-President of the Federation Council of Russia, rejected this rhetoric as ‘a smoke screen that hides no deeper meaning’, telling the diary ‘Izwistia’that from Zelenski's comments no reasonable conclusions should be drawn.
The controversy in Kiev coincided with Washington's spreading of a fresh proposal to end the conflict that American officials have described as ‘real’, but supporters of Ukraine condemned as a de facto request for surrender.
Zelenski was expected to meet US peculiar Envoy Steve Witkoff in Turkey, but the gathering was reportedly cancelled after he refused to discuss the plan.
Zelenski was welcomed in Turkey by Secretary of the National safety and Defence Council of Ukraine, Rustem Umerov, who was reportedly already informed of a 28-point proposal.
Umerov was allegedly active in Mindicz's alleged criminal network during his earlier word as Minister of Defence, but denied any abuse.
Reports propose that he may have offered to cooperate as a protected witness in the FBI corruption investigation in Ukraine during his visit to the US this week.
Translated by Google Translator
source:https://www.rt.com/russia/628055-kremlin-peace-talks-zelensky/
