Russia: Istanbul talks on the front page of the first state channel

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with award-winning young cultural professionals via videoconference in Moscow, Russia, Friday, March 25, 2022. AP - Mikhail Klimentyev

Text by: RFI Follow

2 mins

The United States sees no sign of " 

really serious

 " in what Moscow says, London says it wants to judge the Russian government on its actions and not on its words, but following progress in the negotiations, European stock markets have finished higher on Tuesday.

Unexpectedly, the talks in Istanbul finally raised hopes and in Russia they made headlines.

Advertising

Read more

From our correspondent in Moscow,

Anissa El Jabri

The official announcement by the Ministry of Defense of the " 

radical

 " reduction in military activity in the direction of Kiev and Chernihiv does not come as a surprise in Russia, the Russian army had already prepared the ground on Friday by announcing that it wanted to concentrate on the Donbass.

Of course, this Russian initiative is presented as a means of establishing confidence between negotiators, but for the past few days the elected separatists of the region have been more vocal in Russia.

In Lugansk, the leader evokes a future referendum of attachment to Russia and in Donetsk yesterday there was again talk of the total reconquest of this area.

Before the launch of the " 

special operation

 ", as the Kremlin calls it, the separatists held a third of the geographical Donbass.

Talks featured on TV

A phrase has been repeated in Russia since the end of February: “ 

Everything is going according to plan

 ”.

In any case, the talks on Tuesday in Istanbul, almost ignored yesterday, made the front page of the editions of the first state television channel this Wednesday morning: " 

For the first time we can talk about progress in a difficult dialogue, Kiev has started to hear our concerns and made concessions

 ".

Are cited among the important elements of the negotiations, the written proposals of Ukraine on a neutral status and a possible meeting between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky.

The possibility of a summit meeting had always been ruled out since the beginning of the “ 

special operation

 ”.

► 

To read also: Ukraine: "

positive

" signals with the talks, but Kiev remains on the defensive

Newsletter

Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox

I subscribe

Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application

google-play-badge_FR

  • Russia

  • Ukraine

  • Vladimir Poutine

  • Volodymyr Zelensky