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Ukrainian and Russian officials will meet in Istanbul on Wednesday for the third round of peace talks, their first meeting in over seven weeks amid U.S. pressure to reach a cease-fire.
It is expected that both sides put forth their conditions to achieve peace and negotiate. The meeting will take place at the Çırağan Palace.
Ukraine announced that former Defense Minister and current Security Council Secretary Rustem Umerov would lead its delegation. The team includes those who have participated previously at the second round of talks with Russia.
The Kremlin said it would send political scientist Vladimir Medinsky to lead its negotiating team. It will also include Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, Chief of the General Staff Main Intelligence (GRU) Igor Kostyukov and Deputy Defense Minister Aleksandr Fomin.
From the Turkish side, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, National Intelligence Organization (MIT) Chief Ibrahim Kalın and Chief of General Staff Metin Gürak will participate.
Russia stated that it expected the talks to be “difficult,” downplaying expectations of a breakthrough at a meeting between the two sides, following nearly three and a half years of war.
U.S. President Donald Trump last week gave Russia “50 days” to end the war or face sanctions, but the Kremlin has not indicated it is willing to compromise on its demands.
“No one expects an easy road,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters when asked about his expectations for the talks. “It will be very difficult,” he added.
Meanwhile, Ukraine hopes for a “constructive” stance from Russia.
Ukraine is ready to agree to a cease-fire with Russia at talks in Istanbul, but results from the meeting will depend on whether Russia takes a “constructive position,” a source in the Ukrainian delegation told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
“Everything will depend on whether Russia stops speaking in ultimatums and takes a constructive position. This will determine whether results can be achieved at this meeting,” the source told AFP.
At the last talks on May 16 and June 2, the two sides agreed to large-scale prisoner exchanges.
They also exchanged their draft terms for ending the conflict, which the Kremlin said were “diametrically opposed.”
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan last month called on both sides not to “shut the door” on dialogue.
The rival sides met earlier in Istanbul on May 16 and June 2 amid U.S. pressure to agree on a cease-fire to end the three-year-old conflict. Despite the urging of U.S. President Donald Trump, no major breakthrough was made.
Ukrainian and Russian negotiators have so far only agreed to hold prisoner exchanges. And Russia has since launched intense air attacks on Ukraine and seized more frontline territory.
Russia has demanded that Ukraine give up four regions, on top of Crimea, which it annexed in 2014. The Kremlin also insists that Ukraine should abandon any plans to join the NATO military alliance.
Ukraine has rejected the demands and expressed doubt that Russia wants a cease-fire.
Ankara is keen on boosting its international profile as a key mediator and utilizes Istanbul’s symbolic location to promote diplomacy between the parties involved in conflicts and disagreements on a global level.
NATO member Türkiye is one of the most active countries working to ensure a permanent cease-fire between Ukraine and Russia. Its delicately balanced act of assuming a role as a mediator by keeping communication channels with both warring sides open provides a glimmer of hope in diplomatic efforts to find a solution and achieve peace in the Ukraine crisis. With its unique position of maintaining friendly relations with both Russia and Ukraine, Türkiye has garnered widespread praise for its efforts to end the war.
While Ankara has opposed international sanctions aimed at isolating Moscow, it has also closed its straits to prevent some Russian vessels from crossing through them.
