RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE Russian retaliation ‘inevitable’ – Medvedev Russia will “inevitably” respond to recent Ukrainian attacks on its territory despite continuing diplomatic efforts to reach a peaceful settlement of the conflict, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev stated on Tuesday. His comments follow suspected acts of Ukrainian sabotage on railways in Russia and drone strikes on multiple Russian airfields at the weekend. Despite this, Russian officials traveled to Istanbul on Monday for another round of direct negotiations with Ukrainian representatives. In a social media post, Medvedev addressed domestic calls for a more forceful military response, declaring that Russian retaliation was “inevitable.” “Our…

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE Russian and Ukrainian chief negotiators held secret private meeting Vladimir Medinsky, the head of Russia’s diplomatic delegation at the Istanbul talks, held a private bilateral meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart, Rustem Umerov, which played an “important role” in preparing the general session of negotiations on Monday. The second round of direct talks between Moscow and Kiev concluded on Monday after more than an hour. Prior to the formal session, Medinsky and Umerov held an unannounced meeting that helped facilitate the broader negotiations. “There was a meeting. It played an important role in the preparation of the general session,”Medinsky…