Talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul on Tuesday did not yield anything "
very promising
" or "
breakthrough
", the Kremlin said on Wednesday, dampening hopes of decisive progress in the negotiations.
LIVE - War in Ukraine: Zelensky evokes "positive" signals after the Russian announcement of a "reduction of military activity" around kyiv
“
At this time, we cannot report anything very promising or any breakthrough.
There is a lot of work to be done
,” Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
He nevertheless described as “
positive
” the fact that the Ukrainian side had “
finally started to formulate its proposals in a concrete way and put them in writing
”.
"
We carefully avoid making public statements on the substance
" of the subjects of the talks, because "
we believe that the negotiations must take place
quietly, he added.
These declarations contrast with those, much more positive, of the Russian officials who took part in the discussions which took place Tuesday in Istanbul.
"Substantial Discussions"
At the end of these talks, the head of the Russian delegation and representative of the Kremlin, Vladimir Medinski, reported "
substantial discussions
" and said that Ukraine's "
clear
" proposals for an agreement would be
"
studied very soon and submitted to President
" Vladimir Putin.
The Russian Deputy Defense Minister also said that Moscow was going to "
radically reduce (its) military activity in the direction of Kiev and Cherniguiv
" in the north of the country.
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These assertions have been greeted with skepticism by Western capitals, which accuse Moscow of not really seeking a negotiated solution behind a facade of goodwill.
On the ground, the governor of the Ukrainian region of Cherniguiv said on Wednesday that bombings had taken place "
all night
", despite the Russian promise.
