FILE PHOTO: Mykhailo Podolyak, a political adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, receives questions from a member of the media after a meeting with Russian negotiators in Istanbul, Turkey March 29, 2022. REUTERS/Kemal Aslan
(Reuters) - Russia's siege of the city of Mariupol has further complicated the negotiation process in the war in Ukraine and it is hard to say when direct talks might resume, Ukrainian negotiator Mykhailo Podolyak told Reuters on Tuesday.
Podolyak said in a written response to questions from Reuters that he believed Russia was banking on strengthening its positions through a new offensive it has launched in eastern Ukraine.
