The Federation Council questioned Kiev's interest in negotiations

Vladimir Dzhabarov, First Deputy head of the International Committee of the Federation Council, expressed doubt that the Ukrainian side is really interested in a peaceful settlement. The senator stated this in an interview with Izvestia.

Disarmament progress: demilitarization of Kiev will be discussed at the talks in Istanbul

There was no response from the Ukrainian side about the agreement to the meeting.

"There is a suspicion that Kiev may try to disrupt the negotiations or put forward obviously unacceptable conditions," he said.

Nevertheless, according to Dzhabarov, the dialogue is likely to continue: Ukraine is being pushed towards this by the West, and the Russian Federation remains ready for negotiations. At the same time, he stressed that further military support for Kiev from the West could negate any diplomatic efforts.

On the evening of June 1, a Russian delegation arrived in Istanbul for talks with the Ukrainian side, which includes Assistant to the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Medinsky, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, Chief of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Igor Kostyukov, Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin.

Read more in the exclusive Izvestia article:

Terms of contact: what did the delegations of the Russian Federation and Ukraine come to Istanbul for talks about