A meeting between the Ukrainian and Russian delegations will take place in Istanbul today. On the agenda are the return of Ukrainian prisoners and abducted children, and preparations for a meeting between the leaders of the two countries to end the war.
A Ukrinform correspondent reported the news.
The Ukrainian delegation during the negotiations will be led by the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, Rustem Umerov.
This is the third round of negotiations, with the previous ones taking place in Istanbul on May 16 and June 2. The Russian delegation was led by Putin’s aide Vladimir Medinsky, which underscores the low level Russian delegation. The Ukrainian delegation was led by former Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.
As a result of the first round of negotiations, an agreement was reached, in particular, on the exchange of POWs in a “1000 for 1000” format. During the second round of negotiations, an agreement was reached on the exchange of two categories of prisoners of war – the wounded and severely wounded, as well as soldiers under the age of 25 – in an “all for all” format. In addition, the issue of exchanging the bodies of deceased soldiers was agreed upon.
Ukrinform reported that yesterday, President Volodymyr Zelensky discussed with NSDC Secretary Rustem Umerov the preparation of the next exchange and meeting with the Russian side, which will take place today in Turkey.
On the eve of the negotiiations, Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha stressed that the Russian delegation in Istanbul must have a mandate to discuss key issues, in particular the establishment of a ceasefire and the end of the war.
Photo: AA
Source: Meeting between Ukrainian and Russian negotiators to take place in Istanbul today
