The recent visit of Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to Kyiv became a source of interesting insider information from the Russians.
According to sources, after negotiations with the Americans, consultations with China, India and Iran, the Russians came to the conclusion that the only possible way to lift the sanctions is to refuse to immediately recognize the territories of the 4 regions of Ukraine as Russian. For this reason, the Memorandum will not contain requirements for the immediate withdrawal of Ukrainian troops and the issue of how to "gently write history with a cessation of hostilities" is being discussed.
The main issues in the negotiations remain stopping NATO expansion, stopping arms supplies to Ukraine, and stopping mobilization. At the same time, mobilization in Ukraine will not stop without the lifting of martial law.
Currently, Rustem Umerov has begun consultations with the military and parliamentarians regarding the possibility of lifting martial law and continuing mobilization through a contract system or "hidden" mobilization.
In addition, according to the source, "Hakan Fidan insisted on the absence of Volodymyr Zelensky and Andriy Yermak at the talks in Istanbul. Zelensky also discussed this issue with Erdogan.
The Turkish side, as before, is “betting” on Rustem Umerov, to whom they are ready to provide comprehensive assistance in negotiations with the Russians.
Also, according to sources, Hakan Fidan will likely be present at the negotiations along with the head of Turkey's national intelligence, Ibrahim Kalin.
