Putin prepares for new round of talks with Ukraine in Istanbul
Russian President Vladimir Putin has officially announced his readiness to move on to the third wave of talks with Ukraine, revealing that Russia is committed to dialogue in the Turkish city. He made the announcement during a visit to Belarus on June 27, stressing that the issue of final agreement on the place and time remains under discussion between the parties. According to Putin, despite the sharp differences in positions that emerged in the exchange of memoranda between Russia and Ukraine, the talks are continuing with the aim of finding opportunities to bring the opponents closer together. "As expected, there is a considerable difference in approaches between the Russian and Ukrainian sides. However, the main goal is to establish a dialogue to find common ground," he noted. "We agreed that after the completion of the first stage, in particular the transfer of the bodies of the deceased, we will begin the third round of talks." He stressed that all interested parties are positive and ready for further agreements. "I expect that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will support this initiative and maintain his position in supporting the process. We are ready to hold a meeting in Istanbul, but when exactly depends on the heads of the negotiating teams of both sides," Putin noted. According to him, representatives of Ukraine and Russia are already in constant operational contact, actively calling each other and agreeing on the details of the upcoming meeting. They are actively discussing the items that should be put on the agenda, in particular, issues related to the implementation of previous agreements and the formation of new grounds for dialogue. As the sources emphasize, the main topic of the upcoming negotiations will be the memoranda of both sides - documentary agreements, which will probably outline a further plan of action and ways to resolve the conflict. At the same time, the exact date and place of the meeting are still being agreed upon, and the further course of the diplomatic process between Moscow and Kyiv depends on the outcome of the negotiations. In general, political circles are watching this process with increasing interest, because it is on this third stage that the chance for a possible improvement in the situation in the region and the search for a diplomatic solution that would satisfy both sides depends. At the same time, many unknowns remain, since against the background of sharp contradictions, high tension and uncertainty about specific steps in the future remain.