Ukraine's Foreign Ministry office told Newsmax exclusively on Monday that peace talks between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul remain at a standstill.
The Russian delegation "made their position even more ultimatum-like and even more demanding and not flexible," Heorhii Tykhyi, a spokesperson for Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said. "We really regret this because we really wanted to make a serious step towards peace."
Tykhyi said the Foreign Ministry had made a real effort to achieve big steps in the path toward peace.
"We came with a clear instruction from the president [Volodymyr Zelenskyy] that we can agree to a ceasefire, we can agree to a meeting of leaders, we can agree to real steps towards peace," Tykhyi said. "Unfortunately, what we saw from the Russian side is still the same list of ultimatums. They have not made their position flexible even one inch."
The Russian demands remain the same as when the war began in 2022, Tykhyi said.
"It only got worse and unfortunately they are not willing to make their position even one inch more flexible which means there needs to be pressure on Moscow," Tykhyi said.
Tykhyi said he would like to see Russia pressured with sanctions, as he is concerned Russia will continue to obstruct any constructive efforts from Americans and Europeans to advance peace.
"There needs to be more pressure in Moscow because they are not willing to act," Tykhyi said. "They will just put together all the ultimatums and demands that they have and they will keep pushing for … not constructive demands," Tykhyi said.
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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