Who is Medinsky? Why Putin revived the "dead Istanbul"

This is a person who has been under American sanctions for eight years and is the author of new Russian school textbooks that praise the “special military operation in Ukraine.” It’s hard to find a bigger insult to the collective West, but the Kremlin managed to find one.

Medinsky leading the negotiation group is Putin’s attempt to sell the illusion that nothing has changed since March 2022. There was a temporary pause, but now Russia continues to pressure the Ukrainian side into capitulation. However, if you look at any plan — whether it’s Kit Kellogg's or the "22 peace proposals" from Steve Witkoff — there is no mention of reducing the size of the Ukrainian army or the Russian guns aimed directly at the government quarter.

At the first press briefing in Istanbul, Medinsky spread the main narrative of Kremlin propaganda.

“We view these talks as a continuation of the peace process in Istanbul, which, unfortunately, was interrupted by the Ukrainian side three years ago. Our delegation has full authority and competence to conduct negotiations. The delegation is focused on a constructive attitude, seeking possible solutions and points of contact. The goal of direct talks with the Ukrainian side is to eventually establish long-term peace by addressing the root causes of the conflict,” said Putin’s envoy.

This shows that the Kremlin is trying to bring back the idea of appeasing Russia with concessions from Ukraine. However, it seemed this idea was already dismissed by the former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State under Joe Biden.

This also creates the impression that Ukraine’s struggle over the past three years has been in vain. The lesson, especially for other countries, is clear — surrender, resistance is futile.

In an interview from September 2024, the former U.S. official explained the dangers of the original Istanbul talks. The agreement required Ukraine to give up several weapon systems, but no reciprocal demands were made on Russia. Nuland emphasized that the Istanbul agreements didn’t even foresee the withdrawal of Russian forces from the state border.

Russia required Ukraine to forgo some weapon systems. So, essentially, Ukraine would have been weakened as a military force. At the same time, there were no similar restrictions for Russia. Russia wasn’t required to retreat, nor was it required to have a buffer zone at the border with Ukraine. It wasn’t forbidden to keep weapons on the border, the former official explained.

Therefore, bringing back to negotiations a person who, in updated Russian textbooks, directly called the U.S. the "main beneficiary of the Ukrainian conflict" is an attempt to bring the world back to the spring of 2022 discussion.

At that time, the crown comment on Russia’s intentions in Ukraine was something like: “There is undeniable evidence that Kyiv was planning to start an offensive against Donbas soon, and Russia would have had to defend tens of thousands of Russian citizens living there. In these circumstances, Russia was forced to start a special military operation.” This was the rhetoric Medinsky peddled during breaks between meetings with Ukrainian delegate Davyd Arakhamia.

Later, in April 2022, Medinsky tried to refute information about the mass killings in Bucha, claiming that the Russian military atrocities were allegedly staged by Ukraine: “These murders were beneficial to the Ukrainian government, and Russian soldiers are organically and genetically incapable of such crimes.”

But Medinsky’s current trip to Istanbul gives new life to his career. A number of foreign media will listen to his comments, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio may even shake the hand of a person under U.S. sanctions. What could this be, if not a public humiliation of Washington?

At the same time, “talking points” have emerged on how Russian propagandists should sell this fish to the people.

They are advised to note that, during the formation of the delegation, neither Donald Trump’s words nor Zelenskyy’s statements, which demand a 30-day ceasefire or new sanctions, had any impact on Putin.

Next — the active narrative that negotiations are taking place on worse terms for Ukraine than three years ago. I’m sure some anonymous channels connected to Medvedchuk and Arakhamia will gladly support this story.

And the fact that the meeting will fail is already obvious. The Kremlin is advising its friendly press to prepare the audience for a failed meeting: the “new sanctions package” text instructs propagandists to tell the Russians that the new sanctions “will not harm the country’s development,” that Russia “successfully copes with any sanctions challenges,” and that the country’s budget “was drafted with them in mind.”

So, likely — after Istanbul, everyone will return home disappointed. The U.S. will have to impose a new package of sanctions because there will be no peace signals from Putin. And Russia will proceed with its summer offensive — with the holy belief that it will seize more Ukrainian territory and Ukraine will eventually crawl to the third Istanbul.

In short, at the Turkish resorts, they’ll keep dragging things out to avoid sanctions, while at the front, nothing will change...

With the imitation of "negotiations," Russia delays sanctions on oil and continues its favorite activity — destroying Ukrainians and our land.

Written exclusively for Espreso TV

About the author: Marina Danilyuk-Yarmolayeva, journalist

The editorial team does not always share the opinions expressed by blog authors.