Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba warned members of the delegation during talks with Russia in Istanbul not to eat anything during the meeting and not to touch any surfaces, BBC reports. This is due to suspicions of an attempt to poison the Ukrainian negotiators.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba warned members of the delegation of the next round of Ukrainian-Russian talks in Istanbul not to eat anything during the meeting and not to touch any surfaces, the BBC reported on Tuesday citing this with suspicions of poisoning Ukrainian negotiators. “Members of the delegation should not eat anything and it is better not to touch any surfaces,” Kuleba said in an interview with Ukraine24 TV channel.
Probable poisoning
The Wall Street Journal and investigative portal Bellingcat reported Monday that two Ukrainian negotiators and negotiating Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich developed symptoms of poisoning in March. All of these people had similar symptoms: red eyes, watery and flaky skin on the hands and face. According to Belligcat, this indicated the use of chemical weapons. The WSJ reported that the victims were supposed to accuse Kremlin officials of trying to poison Ukrainian-Russian talks.
Conversations in Istanbul
Another round of Ukrainian-Russian peace talks began in Istanbul on Tuesday morning. The delegations were welcomed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. I call on both sides to cease fire as soon as possible and stop this tragedy, ”Erdogan said, quoted by Reuters. “Negotiations give hope for a peaceful resolution of the conflict. The continuation of hostilities will not benefit anyone, so their cessation should be in the interests of both sides, ”Erdogan assessed. He also announced Ankara’s readiness to continue supporting the negotiation process.