MOSCOW. May 15 (Interfax) - There is an opportunity to make headway at the negotiations in Istanbul if the Ukrainian side treats these talks without hype and is determined to achieve the result, Russian Federation Council Deputy Chairman Konstantin Kosachyov said.
"If the Ukrainian side treats these negotiations just as the Russian side treats them, that said without any propagandist hype but with a determination to achieve the result, there is a chance to make progress. Otherwise, there are no chances for the Ukrainian side," Kosachyov said on his Telegram channel on Thursday.
Direct Russian-Ukrainian negotiations are expected to start in Istanbul on Thursday.
The Russian delegation to them will be led by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, who also headed the Russian group of negotiators in Istanbul in the spring of 2022.
On Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed resuming direct talks without preconditions in Istanbul on May 15 after they had been cut short in 2022.