Moscow: The Kremlin announced on Tuesday that Russia will not participate in the scheduled negotiations between Ukraine and a number of mediators in Istanbul on Wednesday, noting that Moscow has not received any information from Kyiv regarding its readiness to resume dialogue.
According to Kuwait News Agency, this announcement came from Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, who stated in a press release that "Russia's stance on the negotiation process is well known. however, the Ukrainian side has so far shown no practical indication of its desire to return to the negotiating table." He clarified that despite this, "Russian President Vladimir Putin is open to dialogue, and if the US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff or representatives of the Turkish government see the need to inform Moscow of the results of their talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, we will await the information we receive."
On another note, Peskov criticized France for continuing to supply weapons to Ukraine, saying that "Paris is not working for peace but is fueling pro-war stances, and that no fighter jets will change the situation on the front lines." The Kremlin concluded by saying that the Kremlin "still does not have a clear picture of Kyiv's readiness for dialogue," emphasizing that Moscow "has no information about what proposals or decisions Ukraine has prepared for the next phase."