Russian and Ukrainian Delegations Meet in Istanbul for Peace Talks

Delegations from Russia and Ukraine have arrived in Istanbul to hold peace negotiations. Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson George Tykhyi announced that the Ukrainian delegation had arrived in the city. The meeting is scheduled to take place at 1:00 p.m. at the Çırağan Palace.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had earlier stated that he appointed the Ukrainian delegation to participate in the peace talks in Istanbul aimed at ending the Russia-Ukraine war. The delegation is led by Ukraine’s Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also confirmed that Vladimir Medinsky, an advisor to Russian President Vladimir Putin, would head the Russian delegation during this new round of negotiations.

Russia: We Received Ukraine’s Peace Proposal Memorandum

Medinsky announced that the Russian side had received a memorandum draft from Ukraine regarding a possible resolution.

Speaking to Russia Today, Medinsky noted that the document was provided in both Ukrainian and English. He stated, “The Russian delegation has previously received a version of the memorandum from Ukraine on a peaceful resolution.”

Previous Talks Resulted in Prisoner Exchange Agreement

The first meeting between the two sides was held in Istanbul at the presidential working office in Dolmabahçe on May 16.

During that round of negotiations, both parties agreed on a prisoner exchange involving one thousand individuals from each side. They also discussed detailed proposals for a potential ceasefire and agreed to continue negotiations.

The prisoner exchange was completed on May 25.