The “main issues” including the territorial one, the war of Ukraine will be dealt with by its delegations and through their mediation they will start the next round of peace talks to end it in Geneva tomorrow and the day after.
The Kremlin has confirmed that the Russian delegation will be headed by Vladimir Medinsky, an adviser to President Vladimir Putin and a key proponent of the narrative of Russia’s historic dominance over Ukraine. The change at the top of the negotiating team, replacing GRU chief Igor Kostiukov with Medinsky, highlights that there is now a shift in focus from Moscow on the talks and the focus is shifting from a military context to a more political one.
Kostiukov will also participate but will not be in charge
As Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “This time, the intention is to discuss a wider range of issues — basically the basics. The main issues concern both territorial issues and everything related to the demands we have formulated.”
He clarified, however, that the head of the military intelligence service, Igor Kostiukov, will also participate in the talks, while Putin’s special envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, will participate in a separate working group that will deal with economic issues.
US President Donald Trump has said he wants to mediate an end to a conflict he has described as “senseless bloodshed”. However, Russia and Ukraine remain significantly apart on key issues such as territorial issues, control of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, and the role of a possible Western military presence in Ukraine after the war.
