Russia likely to insist on Istanbul or Geneva for peace talks, says expert

She expressed this opinion on the air of Espreso.

“Regarding the choice of country and city as the venue for possible negotiations, the answer lies both in the Turkish side’s visit to Moscow and in the consideration of Switzerland, Geneva, where the largest number of negotiations take place. 

The Vatican seems to be rejected, I think, because there is a new Pope, ambitious, who is showing the current state of affairs. 

However, there is the question—why was Istanbul accepted by Russia as a negotiation venue, although it is the Mecca of a different ideology—Islam? Probably, this is more a return to Byzantium, so the Russians explain to themselves that Istanbul is the place where such a negotiation process can take place,” the expert commented.

According to her, Geneva is a classic place that has always welcomed various delegations and parties. We should also recall the Minsk negotiations, some of which took place in Geneva.

“In my opinion, that is why not the Vatican but Geneva and Istanbul are proposed. I don’t think other cities or capitals will be mentioned soon. From an ideological point of view, the Middle East is not always understandable to Russia, even for their internal audience it will be hard to explain why negotiations would take place there. 

I am more inclined to the theory that Istanbul is considered historically as Byzantium, and Geneva is a city that has always hosted high-level negotiations to end wars, although not always successfully. In my view, Russia will insist on these two cities,” Victoria Vdovychenko noted.

• On May 21, Pope Leo XIV, in a conversation with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, said he was ready to host future negotiations between Ukraine and Russia at the Vatican.
• On May 23, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov expressed skepticism about holding future negotiations with Ukraine at the Vatican, calling this option “unrealistic.”
• On May 27, during a visit to Moscow, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan proposed Istanbul as a venue for a new round of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. Lavrov agreed to Turkey’s proposal to hold the new round of Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul.