Russia Ready to Resume Istanbul Talks with Ukraine, Awaits Kyiv’s Response

Russia has reaffirmed its readiness to resume negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul, but Kyiv has yet to respond to previous proposals, according to Russia’s charge d’affaires in Türkiye, Alexey Ivanov, on Wednesday.

“The Russian side has repeatedly emphasized that we are ready to continue direct negotiations with the Ukrainian side. Our Turkish partners have also consistently stressed that the Istanbul platform remains available to us — these doors remain open,” Ivanov told TASS, Russia’s state news agency. He added that Russia had proposed several initiatives, including the formation of three online working groups, but “unfortunately, we have not yet received a positive response from the Ukrainian side.” Moscow remains open to dialogue “if Kyiv shows political will,” he said.

Meanwhile, Rustem Umerov, Secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council and head of Kyiv’s delegation for direct talks with Russia, arrived in Istanbul on Tuesday. He wrote on Telegram that his visit aims to resume the exchange of prisoners of war, stating: “These days, I will be working in Türkiye and the Middle East to unblock the exchange process. There was an agreement, and we need to implement it.”

Earlier this year, Russia and Ukraine held three rounds of renewed peace talks in Istanbul, agreeing on prisoner and civilian exchanges and sharing memorandums outlining steps to end the war that began in February 2022. Moscow’s proposals to create online working groups addressing political, military, and humanitarian issues have since stalled.