Sir Mark Lyall Grant: Russia wanted direct talks without Ukraine

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00:00Why isn't Ukraine directly involved?

00:02Well, I'm not sure. I think this was what the Russians certainly wanted and it's

00:07what the American administration have agreed to. The Russians are always more

00:12comfortable in just direct bilateral talks between themselves and the

00:17Americans because it gives them some sort of special status, makes them feel

00:22like a superpower. So I think it's probably a tactical mistake by the

00:26Americans to have started the negotiations in this way. But we are

00:32being assured by the Americans that the Ukrainians will be involved at a more

00:38sort of developed stage of the negotiations and of course the

00:41Europeans will be insisting that that is absolutely necessary.