Kremlin plays down expectations for Istanbul negotiations as Ukrainian officials say 10-year-old boy killed in Russian attack on Kramatorsk.

Russia has played down expectations of any breakthrough in upcoming talks with Ukraine in Turkiye, as Ukrainian officials said one child was killed and more than 20 people were wounded in overnight Russian attacks.

“We don’t have any reason to hope for some miraculous breakthroughs,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday, saying this was “hardly possible in the current situation”.

“We intend to pursue our interests, we intend to ensure our interests and fulfil the tasks that we set for ourselves from the very beginning.”

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy‘s announcement late on Monday that talks would take place generated some hope that negotiators would deliver progress on ending the war that began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

United States President Donald Trump has been putting more pressure on Russia to hold talks, which have stalled as Russian President Vladimir Putin stood his ground on his demands.

The third round of talks in recent months is expected to be held in Istanbul on Wednesday. 

Source: Aljazeera