US media reports: Negotiations in Türkiye are a 'tactical victory' for Russia.
The Russian news agency TASS, citing an article in The New York Times (NYT), reported that the negotiations on a solution to the Ukraine issue, which Russia organized in Istanbul, Türkiye, marked a tactical victory for Moscow.
According to the article, these negotiations are not expected to yield any major breakthroughs, and US President Donald Trump has said so, although he has expressed support for the meeting.
The newspaper wrote: "But the meeting was a tactical victory for [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, who succeeded in launching negotiations without having to agree to a ceasefire on the battlefield – something that Ukraine and most of the Western countries supporting them had sought to impose as a precondition for the talks."
The NYT reported that the Trump administration is feeling "disillusioned" due to a lack of progress in efforts to achieve peace.
The article states: "Despite encouraging talks earlier in the week, Trump undermined them in comments on May 15, saying nothing meaningful would happen until he met with Putin. On May 16, Trump said he might call the Russian leader and would meet with him 'as soon as we can arrange it'."
During talks held on May 16, Russia and Ukraine agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners each, presented a vision for a possible ceasefire, outlined specific details, and agreed to maintain contact.
The head of the Russian negotiating team, Presidential Assistant Vladimir Medinsky, said Russia was pleased with the outcome of the meeting.