Analysis: Groundhog Day at peace talks – with potential third round to come before July
There is very much a sense of Groundhog Day in the latest peace talks, says Moscow correspondent Ivor Bennett.
This time they were even shorter than the last round, taking little over an hour.
“The only concrete thing to come of it was another prisoner swap.”
A ceasefire for a couple of days to collect and exchange dead soldiers was also proposed by the Russian side.
“On a personal level, for the soldiers involved in any prisoner exchange, and also for the families of the dead soldiers who are due to be returned, this is obviously a significant moment,” says Bennett.
“But these are the easy things to agree on because they give a win for each side.
“They’re like-for-like, but it doesn’t bring the two sides closer together, which was very much on display today.”
There was “no love lost” at the negotiating table.
Ukraine has proposed holding more talks before the end of the month.
“The talk is one of peace, but the mood is very much one of war.”