What to expect from Ukraine-Russia talks in Istanbul on June 2? Analyst weighs in

Executive Director of the Institute of World Policy Yevhen Mahda said this on Espreso.

"I believe that the main potential positive outcome of the talks is the possibility of reaching a new agreement on the release of prisoners. Everything else, frankly speaking, given the stream of verbal abuse coming from Moscow, does not look realistic at the moment," Mahda said.

According to the director of the Institute of World Policy, the Russians see the negotiations to end the war in Ukraine as a step to climb the ladder leading to talks with Donald Trump on the entire range of Russian-American issues.

"The issue of Ukraine is obviously not a priority for them, even though it is the biggest war of our time. But pay attention to how Russia constantly demonstrates that negotiations are possible only in its format, in the way it offers, and only on its terms.

This is an element of psychological and diplomatic pressure. The Russians understand quite well both the peculiarities of Donald Trump's thinking and the fact that there are no people in his team who are capable of fighting back or engaging in a meaningful dialogue about real progress. Therefore, in this context, there is nothing surprising or extraordinary," Mahda added.

• Donald Trump's special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, says that representatives from the U.S., Germany, France, and the UK will participate in negotiations in Istanbul.