Russia has issued a fresh warning to Ukraine, urging the embattled country not to allow NATO to derail the latest attempts at peace, even as President Vladimir Putin extends diplomatic overtures to the Arab world in a bid to build new global alliances. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on May 17 accused the Western military alliance of impeding progress toward ending the war and exploiting Ukraine as a geopolitical pawn.

Zakharova’s statement follows a rare diplomatic breakthrough between Ukraine and Russia, as both sides convened in Istanbul for the first direct negotiations since 2022. The talks led to a significant prisoner exchange agreement and the exchange of conditions for a potential ceasefire, marking a tentative but noteworthy step toward de-escalation.

“If we put aside all the Russian nonsense, pseudo-historical statements, provocations, and so on, the bottom line is this: we managed to agree on the return of 1,000 of our people. These are 1,000 happy families. Even for this reason alone, all this made sense,” said Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrey Sibiga, praising the practical results of the dialogue despite deep political differences.

Zakharova responded pointedly: “All ‘this’ was proposed by Russia – by its president – and implemented by a delegation authorized by the head of state, which Zelensky mocked for a day.” She insisted that even Sibiga’s grudging acknowledgment of the prisoner swap underscored the legitimacy of Russia’s peace efforts, long maligned by the West.

Her most serious warning, however, was directed at NATO: “The main thing is that the citizens of Ukraine should not allow the ‘NATO advisers’ to lead them off the true path of settlement into the ravine of other people’s interests again.”

Russia........

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