Russia-Ukraine Talks May Resume Friday, Meeting with Putin in the Works

The negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian delegations may resume on Friday, a senior Ukrainian official familiar with the talks told AFP.

"A resumption of Russia-Ukraine talks is possible on Friday, but nothing is scheduled at this stage. Our teams are prepared to work for as long as it takes," the source stated.

According to RIA Novosti, it was the Russian side that called a pause in Thursday’s discussions.

Ukrainian MP Oleksiy Honcharenko said that "Russia demanded the withdrawal of Ukrainian Armed Forces from all regions it has incorporated into its Constitution, as well as from a 'buffer zone' in the Sumy region. The 30-day ceasefire proposal was rejected."

Ukrainian social media accounts also reported that Russia warned if Ukraine does not withdraw from the four regions, the next round of talks will include demands for five regions — though the source of this claim is unclear.

Germany’s Bild newspaper reports that Kyiv sees Moscow’s demands as a deliberate attempt to derail the negotiation process. Ukrainian officials view the Russian terms as “unrealistic.”

An Interfax source reported that the Russian delegation is expected to leave Istanbul on Friday following the talks with Kyiv’s representatives, with no date set yet for future contacts.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, who leads the delegation, said:

“President Zelensky was expecting a high-level discussion; I believe the next step should be organizing a meeting with President Putin.”

Meanwhile, Vladimir Medinsky, head of the Russian delegation, commented:

"Those who say a ceasefire must come before negotiations don’t know history. War and negotiations always happen at the same time."

Additionally, according to Suspilne, the Russian delegation demanded that Ukraine recognize Crimea as part of Russia during the talks.