BISHKEK, May 15. /TASS/. The determination of the Ukrainian delegation to discuss only a ceasefire at the talks in Turkey runs counter to Moscow's broader approach, Russian Foreign Ministry Ambassador-at-Large Rodion Miroshnik said.
"Some Western media have stated citing their sources that Ukraine is heading there to discuss solely a 30-day ceasefire. These positions are in fact incompatible with the approach that Russia professes currently," the diplomat, who is assigned to deal with the crimes of the Kiev regime, said at a news conference in Bishkek.
"Russia has repeatedly expressed its opinion that a ceasefire regime can be achievable only when a unified settlement strategy has been built," he went on to say.
"So far, from the Ukrainian side, we see that they need a ceasefire to rearm, rebuild their military capabilities, because there are no agreements on further advancement," he continued. "There is nothing that would say what will happen after the 30-day ceasefire, there is nothing about the political side of it, what the period of settlement will be and how the Ukrainian government will be legitimized."
On May 11, Putin offered Kiev to resume from May 15, without preliminary conditions, the direct Russia-Ukraine talks that had been suspended in 2022. On May 14, the president appointed members of the Russian delegation and experts for talks with Kiev. The negotiating team is led by Kremlin Aide Vladimir Medinsky. It also includes Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin; the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Igor Kostyukov; and Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin.