Kremlin Sets Low Expectations for Upcoming Ukraine Peace Talks

On Tuesday, the Kremlin continued to temper expectations regarding the upcoming peace talks between Russian and Ukrainian representatives, expressing skepticism about the likelihood of any significant progress in the near term.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, «There’s no grounds for anticipating any sort of miraculous breakthrough. Given the current conditions, that seems improbable.»

He emphasized, «We aim to protect our interests and fulfill the goals we established from the outset,» adding that it would be «misguided» to set specific timelines for a possible peace agreement due to a variety of factors impacting the negotiations.

Peskov also refrained from providing a date for the next session of talks, mentioning only that the Kremlin was «optimistic» about the possibility of them occurring this week.

«We will announce the timeline once we are prepared,» he stated to reporters. «The matter of negotiations is rather intricate. Among other issues, we will need to discuss the draft documents that were shared during the second round of discussions.»

Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky indicated that the third round of talks was scheduled for Wednesday. However, an unnamed source informed Russia’s state news agency TASS that the discussions would instead occur on Thursday.

This year, Russia and Ukraine have engaged in two direct rounds of peace negotiations, the first on May 16 and the second on June 2, both held in Istanbul.

While both parties agreed on significant prisoner swaps during these meetings, no substantial progress has been made towards achieving a comprehensive ceasefire or resolving the ongoing full-scale invasion that Russian President Vladimir Putin initiated in February 2022.

Reporting by AFP contributed to this article.