Russia, Ukraine to Resume Peace Talks in Turkey

By Staff, Agencies

Russian and Ukrainian negotiators are set to resume tension-easing negotiations in Istanbul on Monday, Reuters cited a senior Turkish official as saying, as the conflict between the neighbors rages on.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin agreed in a telephone call on Sunday for Istanbul to host a fresh round of talks.

Erdogan said his country would continue efforts to end the conflict in Ukraine, and stressed the need for an immediate ceasefire and the improvement of the humanitarian situation in the region, according to a statement by his office.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the move, saying they must bring peace “without delay,” and signaling his government’s preparedness to compromise on key issues.

The previous rounds of talks have failed to produce a breakthrough, as both the warring sides have refused to compromise on their respective redlines.

The Kremlin on Monday confirmed that the face-to-face talks would take place in Turkey, but said the talks are scheduled on Tuesday as the negotiators would only be arriving in Turkey on Monday.

It came as Ukraine said it had no plans to open humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians from besieged cities.

Russia’s military operation in Ukraine has entered its second month, with the Russian government declaring that it has secured the main objectives it sought in the first stage of the operation.

Western countries, including the US, have decried Russia’s military intervention in Ukraine as unprovoked, but Moscow says the “special operation” aims to “demilitarize” and “denazify” the country after years of fighting between the Kiev government and separatists in the breakaway Donbass region.