Delegations of Ukraine and Russia have arrived in Istanbul: two-day talks will start today
Ukrainian and Russian delegations arrived in Istanbul for a new round of face-to-face peace talks aimed at making progress in ending the war.
It is reported that the Russian delegation settled in the Ciragan Palace Kempinski Hotel, and the Ukrainian – in Shangri-La Bosphorus, both hotels are located close to each other in the Besiktas area.
The delegations will hold talks at the Dolmabahçe presidential residence in Istanbul. The meeting is expected to be held behind closed doors and will start at 10:30 Kyiv time.
The talks are expected to last two days, from March 28 to 30.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to address delegations at the opening of the meeting.
– We will have a short meeting with the delegations tomorrow (March 29, – Ed.), – said President Erdogan at a press conference after a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers in the Turkish capital.
So far, Russia and Ukraine have held three rounds of face-to-face talks in Belarus, and the fourth meeting took place via video conference.
In a telephone conversation on Sunday, Recep Tayyip Erdogan told his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, that a ceasefire and peace between Moscow and Kyiv must be reached as soon as possible and that the humanitarian situation in the region must be improved.
President Erdogan reiterated that Turkey will continue to contribute to this process. Earlier, he said that the talks that the Turkish leader has with the presidents of Ukraine and Russia are moving in a positive direction.
Earlier, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba had to refute the words of the President of Turkey on the consensus between Ukraine and Russia in the talks.
Sources: CNN Turk, Anadolu Agency