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Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on Thursday accused Ukraine of deliberately stalling peace negotiations hosted in Istanbul, while expressing gratitude to Türkiye for offering its support and providing a venue for the talks.
Speaking at a press briefing in Moscow, Zakharova said Russia remained committed to negotiations aimed at resolving the conflict—now in its fourth year—through political and humanitarian channels.
"We always value initiatives coming from countries offering their venues for the negotiation process or developing their mechanisms," she said, emphasizing that Türkiye was among the few nations that had not only proposed but also hosted talks during the course of the war.
Zakharova acknowledged Türkiye’s facilitative role in hosting several rounds of talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul. She stated that while Russia remained engaged, Ukraine had undermined the process.
"We always express our appreciation. In this particular case, we are grateful to the Turkish side for their hospitality and willingness to offer their venue for Russian-Ukrainian negotiations. We did not reject this format. It was the Kyiv regime that did," she said.
Three rounds of negotiations held in Istanbul between May and July this year resulted in prisoner swaps, marking one of the few tangible humanitarian outcomes amid broader diplomatic stagnation.
Zakharova accused Ukraine of sabotaging the Istanbul process, saying that despite publicly expressing interest in negotiations, Ukrainian authorities failed to take follow-up action.
"You see that all our latest round proposals have stalled on their side. Once again declaring their intentions, they did exactly the opposite. Or, to put it better, they did nothing at all," she said.
According to Zakharova, since July, Ukraine has not responded to Russia’s suggestions, including the formation of three working groups focused on political, military, and humanitarian issues, or to the proposal of raising the level of participating delegations.
Zakharova reiterated that Moscow remains open to dialogue, particularly on matters related to humanitarian relief and conflict resolution.
"Despite Ukraine’s negative attitude, Moscow has always engaged in contacts for the sake of people, for the sake of solving humanitarian problems, for the sake of moving towards peace," she said.
Türkiye has repeatedly positioned itself as a neutral broker between Moscow and Kyiv since the start of the war in 2022. Most recently, during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to Türkiye last week, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for renewed diplomatic efforts to end the conflict. Erdogan stated that Türkiye is prepared to discuss with Russia "any proposals that would accelerate a ceasefire" and "pave the way for a just, lasting peace."
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