Russia, ukraine expected to discuss peace memorandums in istanbul: kremlin - the statesman

The Kremlin announced Friday that it expects both Russian and Ukrainian draft peace memorandums to be reviewed during upcoming negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry

Peskov said the Russian delegation is scheduled to depart for Istanbul and will be ready to begin the next round of talks with Ukraine on Monday morning. Advertisement Peskov added that the

two sides will discuss conditions for a potential temporary truce, with safe navigation in the Black Sea likely to be a key component of any future agreement. Advertisement He also noted

that high-level contacts between Russian, US, and Ukrainian leaders are possible, depending on the outcome of the talks. Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov said Wednesday that Ukraine

expects to receive Russia’s draft peace memorandum ahead of Monday’s meeting, Xinhua news agency reported. He said that Ukraine had already delivered its own memorandum to the head of the

Russian delegation. Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Friday that the Russian delegation will arrive with a draft memorandum and additional ceasefire

proposals. Also on Friday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan discussed preparations for the new round of Russia-Ukraine talks during a phone

call, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry. Fidan, who visited Russia earlier this week and is in Kyiv on Friday, briefed Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on Russia’s position

regarding the ongoing peace process, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Russia and Ukraine last held direct talks on May 16 — their first face-to-face negotiations since

March 2022. Those talks, also held in Istanbul, concluded without a ceasefire agreement. Advertisement