Russia's Medinsky claimed Russo-Ukrainian war is "Russians killing Russians" at Istanbul talks – Ukrainian diplomat

KATERYNA TYSHCHENKO - 24 May, 23:07

Ukrainian First Deputy Foreign Minister Kyslytsia. Screenshot: 24/7 joint newscast

Serhii Kyslytsia, Ukraine’s First Deputy Foreign Minister and a member of the Ukrainian delegation at the talks with Russia in Istanbul, revealed that on 16 May, Russian delegates, led by Vladimir Medinsky, made threatening and inflammatory remarks, including Medinsky’s claim that the war against Ukraine is "Russians killing Russians".

Source: Kyslytsia, in an interview broadcast on Ukraine’s 24/7 joint news cast on Saturday 24 May

Quote from Kyslytsia: "The stream of vitriol, threats, cynicism and immoral statements was almost continuous. You’ve heard about their lengthy pseudo-historical rants, demands for ‘four regions today, eight or six tomorrow’, or threats that ‘some delegation members may lose more relatives’. At one point, the head of the Russian delegation said, ‘This war is essentially about Russians killing Russians, with certain nuances.’ They deny our existence as a nation, telling us to our faces: ‘You are not Ukrainian, you are Russian, and we are just killing you – Russians killing Russians’."

Details: Kyslytsia noted that the Russian delegation, acting under strict Kremlin directives, lacked the mandate to negotiate in the presence of US representatives. The Turkish hosts were present but did not participate. Despite Ukrainian and US proposals for an unconditional ceasefire, the Russians rejected this, stating that "an unconditional ceasefire is categorically unacceptable".

Background:

On 16 May, delegations from Ukraine and Russia held direct negotiations for the first time in more than three years in Istanbul.
Media reports stated that during the talks, the Russians demanded the exclusion of US representatives from the negotiations with Ukraine and presented a number of unacceptable conditions.
Russian representatives voiced several demands to the Ukrainian delegation during a closed meeting in Istanbul on 16 May, setting out the conditions under which Moscow was ready to cease fire. Among them were Ukraine's renunciation of territories and claims for reparations.
Vladimir Medinsky, the head of the Russian delegation in Istanbul, said during the talks that Russia was ready for an endless war against Ukraine and threatened to seize Sumy and Kharkiv oblasts. "We fought Sweden for 21 years. How long are you ready to fight?" he asked the Ukrainian side.
Kyslytsia described the Russian delegates, particularly Medinsky, as "behaving like gangsters" and issuing direct threats to the Ukrainian side.

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