'Don't expect miracles': Kremlin downplays talks as Ukrainian & Russian teams arrive in Turkey

The Kremlin set the tone for the meeting between Russian and Ukrainian officials on Wednesday by saying that no one should expect any “miracles”.

Ukrainian and Russian delegations will meet on Wednesday evening in Turkey's Istanbul for the third round of direct talks. The talks will take at a time when Russia has intensified the war with increased aerial attacks and advances on the ground.

In yet another sign that Russia is not giving importance to today’s talks, Vladimir Putin has decided to send a relatively low-ranking official, Vladimir Medinsky, as the head of its delegation. The Ukrainian delegation will be led by Rustem Umerov, who until recently served as the defence minister and currently serves as security council secretary.

ALSO READ: With Russia’s terms to Ukraine, Putin seeks surrender — not a peace deal

In the last round of talks, both the sides exchanged their terms for the end of the war. While Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy offered concessions, Russian leader Putin reiterated his maximalist demands that made it clear that he did not want a peace deal but Ukraine’s capitulation.

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‘Don’t expect miracles’: Kremlin downplays talks

Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said ahead of the talks that no should “expect any breakthrough in the category of miracles”.

Peskov made it clear that talks for Russia were not an attempt to reach middle ground but to impose maximalist terms on Ukraine.

“We intend to pursue our interests, we intend to ensure our interests and fulfil the tasks that we set for ourselves from the very beginning,” Peskov said.

Peskov also refused to indicate the timeline to reach an agreement with Ukraine to end the war.

When asked about the expectations with talks, Peskov said, “No one expects an easy road. It will be very difficult.”

Ukraine & Russia to aim for low-hanging fruits

Even though Ukraine and Russia are meeting today, no major breakthrough is expected. Both the sides will try to reach understandings on issues like the repatriation of hostages or bodies that help them politically at home.

For Ukraine, Zelenskyy said ahead of the talks that the agenda will be “the return of prisoners of war, the return of the children abducted by Russia, and the preparation of a leaders’ meeting”.

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The talks will take at a precarious moment for Ukraine that has been torn apart with the new law passed by Zelenskyy’s party that essentially kills the independence of the country’s anti-corruption agencies. For the first time since Russian invasion of Ukraine, thousands of people are demonstrating in several parts of the country, including near the presidential office in Kyiv, amid outrage against the law.

The law, which Zelenskyy said is critical to keeping Russian spies out of these agencies, has not just outraged Ukrainians public and civil society, but has also alarmed the European Union (EU). Observers have said that the law could hamper Ukraine’s eventual accession to the EU.