Russia 'categorically' rejected unconditional ceasefire in peace talks, Ukrainian official says

Russia's negotiating team in Istanbul has repeatedly stated that "an unconditional ceasefire is categorically unacceptable," Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Serhii Kyslytsia said in an interview aired on May 24 on Ukraine's national telethon.

Kyslytsia was present in Istanbul last week, as Ukrainian and Russian negotiators met on May 16 to begin the first direct peace talks between the two countries in three years.

The Ukrainian team emphasized during the talks that both the Ukrainians and Americans continue to propose an unconditional ceasefire as the next step in a peace negotiating process, Kyslytsia said.

"I do not think that (the Russian negotiating team's) directives had a position that allowed for the possibility of reaching an agreement with the Ukrainian side on a ceasefire," Kyslytsia said.

The peace talks in Istanbul concluded after less than two hours with no agreement beween the two sides on a ceasefire.

After the talks concluded, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov confirmed that Moscow has no interest in agreeing to a ceasefire in Ukraine, saying on May 21 that "we don't want this anymore."

A source in the Ukrainian President's Office briefed on the talks confirmed to the Kyiv Independent that Moscow's delegation insisted that Ukraine retreat from Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts, despite Russia not fully controlling any of them.

The only concrete agreement from the discussions was the arrangement of a major prisoner swap, which was completed on May 15.