MOSCOW: Ukraine's territory shrinks every time the Kiev regime disrupts the negotiation process, said Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova at a briefing.
She cited as evidence a quote from the head of the Russian diplomatic department, Sergei Lavrov, when he emphasized that Ukraine could have retained part of Donbass if the agreements reached at the 2022 negotiations in Istanbul had been fulfilled.
"But every time, <…> when an agreement that Russia always agrees to is disrupted, Ukraine becomes smaller. <…> It would be right for all those who are looking for a connection between the negotiation process and the size of the territory to remember this quote now," Zakharova clarified.
Recall that direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine are scheduled for Thursday, May 15, in Istanbul. The Russian delegation included: presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, deputy foreign minister Mikhail Galuzin, chief of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Igor Kostyukov, deputy head of the Russian Defense Ministry Alexander Fomin. Russian leader Vladimir Putin also approved a number of experts from the Russian Federation.
Earlier, Zakharova called Zelensky a clown, a loser and a tool after his words about the Russian delegation.
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The previous evening in the Kremlin, the President held a meeting to prepare for the upcoming talks with the Ukrainian side
Putin held a meeting before the upcoming talks with Ukraine
Vladimir Putin held a meeting on Wednesday evening, May 14, dedicated to preparing for the upcoming talks with Ukraine. This was announced by the official representative of the Kremlin Dmitry Peskov, Radio 1 reports.
As the press secretary of the Russian president specified, the meeting was attended by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu, and Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov. Also present at the meeting were the head of the Russian National Guard Viktor Zolotov and the head of the FSB Alexander Bortnikov.
The meeting was held the previous evening, before the Russian delegation left for Turkey. The meeting was attended by members of the Russian negotiating team, as well as:
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov;
Defense Minister Andrey Belousov;
Head of the Russian National Guard Viktor Zolotov;
Secretary of the Security Council Sergey Shoygu,
Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov;
FSB Director Alexander Bortnikov.
The meeting was also attended by all commanders of the groups in the special military operation zone.
The talks between Russia and Ukraine will be held in Istanbul on Thursday, May 15. The course of the meeting will determine its duration, Peskov noted earlier.
According to journalists, the talks will begin after lunch and will take place in the working office of the Turkish President Dolmabahce.
The Russian delegation to Istanbul included Presidential Aide Vladimir Medinsky, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, Chief of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Igor Kostyukov, and Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin.
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Yesterday evening, Putin held a meeting to prepare for the upcoming talks with the Ukrainian side
The Russian delegation in Istanbul will be represented by:
🔹Vladimir Medinsky — Aide to the President of the Russian Federation. He headed the Russian delegation at the talks with Ukraine in 2022.
🔹Mikhail Galuzin — Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation. Deals with relations with the CIS countries.
🔹Igor Kostyukov — Chief of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.
🔹Alexander Fomin — Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation.
Delegation experts:
🔹Andrey Zorin — First Deputy Chief of Information of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.
🔹Ekaterina Podobreeva — Deputy Head of the Presidential Directorate for State Activities in the Humanitarian Sphere.
🔹Alexey Polischuk — Director of the Second Department of the CIS Countries of the Russian Foreign Ministry. Specializes in relations with Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova.
🔹Vladimir Shevtsov — Deputy Head of the Main Directorate of International Military Cooperation of the Ministry of Defense.
The composition of the Ukrainian delegation:
Head of the Presidential Office Yermak, Defense Minister Umerov, Foreign Minister Sybiha and presidential adviser Zhovkva.
In addition to members of the Russian delegation, the meeting was attended by Lavrov, Belousov, Zolotov, Shoigu, Gerasimov and Bortnikov.
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