The Guardian :
Face-to-face peace talks between Ukraine and Russia are likely to start in Turkey on Tuesday, the Kremlin has said, as Kyiv insisted that with Moscow’s invasion largely stalled it was not prepared to make any concessions on its territorial integrity.
The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdo?an, agreed on Sunday that ceasefire talks would be held in Istanbul, possibly beginning as early as the following day.
The Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said on Monday, however, that Tuesday was more likely. Further comment could “only hurt the negotiation process” but the fact talks were “continuing to take place in person is, of course, important”, he said.Officials have played down the chances of a major breakthrough, but observers said the two sides’ first in-person encounter since a bad-tempered meeting between the Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, and his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, in Antalya on 10 March was a sign that the dynamics may be shifting.
Kyiv has suggested that with Russia’s invasion forces held up by stiff Ukrainian resistance, heavy losses and mounting tactical and logistical problems, Moscow may be more willing to compromise as its hopes of installing a new government fade.
Having failed in its attempt to encircle the Ukrainian capital and force the government’s capitulation, the Russian defence ministry said last week that it was shifting its focus to expanding the territory held by pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.
