Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said that the upcoming talks in Istanbul are a critical part of the groundwork for a potential meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin.

Source: Russian state-owned news agencies RIA Novosti and Interfax; Telegram channel Vy Slushali Mayak (You have been listening to Radio Mayak), citing Peskov

Quote from Peskov: “All the work that must be done on coordinating the memoranda is preparation for the meeting [of the two leaders– ed.]. In this respect, yes.”

Details: Peskov cautioned that it would be inadvisable to arrange a meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy unless this “complex” preparatory work is done.

He further noted that the upcoming round of Russo-Ukrainian negotiations will, among other topics, address the draft memoranda submitted by both sides concerning the settlement.

“The subject of the negotiations is quite complex; in addition to other issues, it will naturally involve discussing the draft memoranda that were exchanged during the second round,” Interfax quoted Peskov as saying.

The next round of talks between Russia and Ukraine is scheduled to start at 19:00 on 23 July in Istanbul, Türkiye.

Background: It was previously reported that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had approved the members of the Ukrainian delegation that will attend the talks in Istanbul on 23 July. Rustem Umierov, Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council, has been appointed head of the delegation, which includes representatives of the presidential administration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the armed forces, the Security Service of Ukraine, Defence Intelligence, the Verkhovna Rada (Parliament) and other bodies.

Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!

From Ukrainska Pravda via this RSS feed