NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said today in Tirana that Russian President Vladimir Putin made a mistake by sending a low-level delegation to Istanbul, the Albanian telegraph agency ATA reported. Rutte commented on the dialogue between Russia and Ukraine ahead of the summit of the European Political Community (EPC), which is taking place today in Tirana, BTA reported.
"Putin made a mistake by sending a low-level delegation (to Istanbul). In fact, the ball is in his court, that is very clear, he has to play – in the sense that he has to be serious to achieve peace, and all the pressure is now on him," Rutte said, quoted by ATA.
The Russian delegation is led by Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to President Vladimir Putin. The delegation also includes Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Mikhail Galuzin, Chief of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Igor Kostyukov and Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin, TASS reported.
The NATO Secretary General described as "a very good thing" that Ukraine has sat down at the negotiating table and that it has sent a delegation that is very willing to negotiate peace, ATA also reported.