Ukraine and Russia may reach a new round of talks: date announced

The next stage of negotiations between representatives of Ukraine and Russia may take place in Istanbul on 23-24 July. This was reported by the Turkish daily İndependent Türkçe with a reference to diplomatic sources.

At the moment, the details - including the exact place, time and level of delegations - remain unknown. The discussion is expected to focus on humanitarian aid, prisoner exchange, protection of critical infrastructure and ensuring the security of border areas.

Preparations for the meeting have already begun, with logistics, security protocols and modalities being worked out. The talks, as in previous times, will be held behind closed doors. The parties plan to disseminate information on the results in the form of official statements.

We shall remind you that on 19 July, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the secretary of the National Security and Defence Council, Rustem Umerov, proposed that the Russian side meet next week. According to him, among the key topics are the exchange of prisoners, the return of illegally deported children and the cessation of hostilities.

The previous meeting of the delegations took place on 2 June in Istanbul and lasted more than an hour. According to Russian media reports, the sides reached agreements on the exchange of seriously wounded, seriously ill and young military personnel under 25 years of age on an "all for all" formula.

on 14 June, propaganda sources claimed that Vladimir Putin, in a conversation with Donald Trump, confirmed his willingness to continue negotiations. Later, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Istanbul could again be a possible venue for the next round.