By Janet Ekstract
İSTANBUL- Istanbul will be the location of the fifth round of talks between Ukraine and Russia this week. In a statement on Sunday, Turkey’s Communication Directorate said that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the latest developments in negotiations via phone and agreed that new negotiations will take place in Istanbul. Erdogan has reiterated Turkey’s willingness to remain steadfast in seeking a peace agreement and a ceasefire. The Turkish leader has repeatedly called for humanitarian corridors to be a priority and that a plan needs to be put in place for the humanitarian situation to improve.
Meanwhile, early Monday morning, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky released his video address from his presidential office. He said the prospect of a new round of meetings in Turkey is “not bad.” As Zelensky commented: “A new round of negotiations is ahead because we are looking for peace, really, without delay. As I was informed, there is an opportunity for a face-to-face meeting in Turkiye. This is not bad. Let’s look at the result.” Zelensky pointed out that his main concern is “effective security guarantees” for Ukraine and that this is “mandatory.” He said that sanctions must remain on Russia as long its troops stay in Ukraine and as long as Russia maintains its aggression against Ukraine.
On Sunday, the Ukrainian president stated that it might be possible for Ukraine to accept a formal non-nuclear status as part of a deal to end the war in his country. Zelensky who spoke in an interview with Russian media, said that peace talks between the two nations are continuing and that the most crucial issue on the agenda is non-nuclear status. Zelensky commented: “The nuclear-free status of our state, we are ready to go for it. This is the most important point.” He added that he wants to sign a “serious agreement” with security guarantees for Ukraine that would be signed by all guarantors. Zelensky added that security guarantees mean changes to Ukraine’s constitution which would require a referendum. The Ukrainian leader further stated that to get to peace, he realizes that some compromise is necessary. As Zelensky explained: “To minimize the number of victims, to shorten the duration of this war. To withdraw the troops of the Russian Federation to compromise territories – and this is all that was before Feb. 24, before the (Russian) attack. Let them go back there, I understand that it is impossible to force Russia to completely liberate the territory, this would lead to World War III.”
With regard to when talks will take place, the Turkish Communication Directorate gave no formal dates for the meetings but a prominent member of Ukraine’s negotiation delegation David Arakhamia wrote on Facebook that the next round of negotiations between Ukraine and Russia is slated for March 28-30 in Istanbul. Arakhamia is the head of the Servant of the People faction in the Ukraine Parliament (Verkhovna Rada). As Arakhamia said on Sunday: “Today, at the next round of video talks, it was decided to hold the next live round with the two delegations in Turkiye on March 28-30. Details later.”
