Russia said several times in Istanbul that an unconditional ceasefire is unacceptable to it – top diplomat

During the negotiations in Istanbul, the Russians stated several times that an unconditional ceasefire is "categorically unacceptable" for them. This was stated by First Deputy Foreign Minister Serhiy Kyslytsia in an interview with the "We – Ukraine" TV channel.

According to him, the Russian delegation was "very experienced," but did not have the mandate to "take a step left, a step right."

"They, apparently, strictly followed the directives they received. They voiced them and, apparently, carried them out. But I don't think that in their directives they had a position that would have provided for the possibility of reaching an agreement with the Ukrainian side on a ceasefire," the diplomat said.

Instead, Russian representatives had a position on why the initiative of the United States and Ukraine for an unconditional ceasefire is unacceptable for Moscow, Kyslytsia noted.

"And they said several times during the negotiations that an unconditional ceasefire is categorically unacceptable," the official noted. He did not specify how the occupiers explained this position.

• In the same interview, Kyslytsia confirmed that during the negotiations in Istanbul, the Russians did indeed demand that Ukraine cede four regions and threatened to occupy more if Kyiv did not agree to this.
• According to the diplomat, the head of the Russian delegation, Medinsky, traditionally denied the existence of Ukrainians and said that in the war "Russians kill Russians."
• The second stage of the large-scale prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine took place on May 24, the only real agreement from the Istanbul talks. The third stage of the exchange is expected on May 25.