Prominent Russian Lawmaker Vows Response to NATO Threats as Istanbul Talks Continue

Russia remains fully prepared to respond to any threats from NATO, Russian lawmaker Leonid Slutsky said on Wednesday, responding to remarks by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who described the ongoing Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul as “not serious business,” TASS News Agency reported.

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Slutsky, chairman of the State Duma’s international committee and leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR), criticized the NATO stance on Telegram. 

“The West, as always, relies on force rather than genuine political and diplomatic mechanisms.” 

He stressed that Russia “has and will always have a proportionate response to any threat from the alliance.”

He defended the Istanbul negotiations, calling them a genuine opportunity to end hostilities, save lives, and reach a durable settlement. Slutsky added that for Ukraine’s leadership to dismiss the talks as unserious would be self-defeating, especially as the military situation continues to deteriorate for Kiev.

“NATO’s bravado won’t save the Ukrainian regime, which has fueled armed Russophobia and neo-Nazism, leading itself toward self-destruction,” Slutsky stated.

Following two rounds of negotiations in Istanbul, Russia and Ukraine reached agreements on prisoner exchanges. Both sides exchanged 1,000 prisoners each, along with swaps of wounded and seriously ill personnel, as well as soldiers under the age of 25. 

According to TASS, Russia also returned 6,060 bodies of Ukrainian servicemen while receiving 78 bodies of Russian soldiers in exchange.