Ukraine-Russia peace talks in Turkey: what we know

Ukraine-Russia peace talks in Turkey: what we know. [AFP] Ukraine and Russia are close to reviving direct peace talks for the first time since the last face-to-face discussions ended three years ago. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to meet in Turkey on Thursday for talks on ending the war, after Moscow proposed staging direct negotiations. With less than 24 hours until negotiations are set to begin, details remain obscure. Here's a breakdown of what is known and not about the talks so far: Who is expected to attend? Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed Russia-Ukraine talks in a late-night address hours after Kyiv and European countries urged Moscow to agree to a full and unconditional 30-day ceasefire starting Monday. After Putin's address, Zelensky said he would be willing to meet Putin in Turkey "personally". The Kremlin has declined to say who would be part of its delegation, and if Putin would attend. Brazil and China, two of Russia's partners, welcomed the talks in a joint statement. US President Trump said he "believes both leaders will be there" and floated the idea that he may join the talks too. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will be in Istanbul on Friday, according to a US official -- raising uncertainty over when the talks will take place. Why Turkey? Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said a "historic turning point" has been reached in efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war and his country was ready to host talks between the two warring parties. NATO member Turkey has sought to maintain good relations with both of its Black Sea neighbours since the Russian invasion began and has twice hosted talks aimed at ending the war. At the talks in Istanbul in March 2022, Moscow and Kyiv officials met and discussed an outline to end the war. But the 2022 talks broke down following Russia's retreat from the Kyiv suburb of Bucha, where hundreds of civilians were found killed following a month-long occupation by Russian forces. Contact between the warring sides has been limited since and mainly dedicated to humanitarian issues like prisoner-of-war exchanges and the repatriation of soldiers' remains. Where do the two parties stand? The fundamental differences between Kyiv and Moscow are far from being resolved. Russia insists talks need to address what it says are the "root causes" of the conflict, including the "denazification" and demilitarisation of Ukraine, two vague terms Moscow has used to justify the invasion. It has also repeated that Ukraine must cede its territory occupied by Russian troops. Kyiv said it won't recognise its territories as Russian -- though Zelensky has acknowledged that Ukraine might have to use diplomatic means to get them back. The two warring parties are struggling to agree even on a ceasefire. Ukraine had agreed last month to the US proposal of an unconditional ceasefire, which Zelensky said was a prerequisite for negotiations. But Putin, whose troops have the momentum in parts of the frontline, rejected the proposal. What's next? Zelensky said in Kyiv that the West should impose massive sanctions if Putin skips the meeting. French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, two top EU leaders, warned Russia that there will be new sweeping sanctions if no substantial progress is reached in Turkey this week. The EU, on Wednesday, a day before the Turkey talks, approved a fresh package of sanctions on Russia, which is already subject to over 20,000 restrictive measures, clamping down on its "shadow" oil fleet. In late March, Trump threatened to impose tariffs on Russian oil, earnings from which are vital for the country's budget, which is strained by high military expenditures for the grinding three-year war. Republican Senator Lindsay Graham was advocating a 500 percent tariff on imports from countries that continue buying Russian oil, gas, and uranium.

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