Analyst and ex-intelligence officer from the United States Scott Ritter, known for his comments on international politics, commented on Russian President Vladimir Putin's proposal to hold direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on May 15. This is reported by RIA Novosti.
According to Ritter, this is a brilliant maneuver, in principle removing the issue of a 30-day truce from the agenda.
"Putin returns the initiative to Russia, allowing it to dictate terms to the Ukrainian-European-American bloc, which is not ready and not capable of such a step," the analyst believes.
EADaily reminds that the Kremlin offered a dialogue in Turkey without any preconditions. The meeting can be held in Istanbul, "where they [negotiations] were held earlier and where they were interrupted."
Earlier, EADaily reported that French President Emmanuel Macron called Vladimir Putin's proposal for negotiations insufficient.