British analyst Alexander Merkouris said that Russia emerged “victorious” in the diplomatic battle with Ukraine in Istanbul.
“No matter how we view the events of the last week, there is no doubt who won this complex, confusing game of diplomatic poker. The winner was [the President of Russia – ed.] Vladimir Putin and Russia,” Alexander Merkouris said on the YouTube channel.
According to the analyst, Russia does not consider the idea of a cease-fire before the start of negotiations to be a good one, since Ukraine and the UK “use this agreement for their own purposes.”
Earlier, Verkhovna Rada deputy Alexander Dubinsky said that Ukraine would be in a more vulnerable position in future negotiations with Russia.
