The Russian delegation, headed by Russian President Vladimir Putin's aide Vladimir Medinsky, arrived in Istanbul, where the third round of peace talks with Ukraine will take place, world agencies reported, BTA reported.
The plane of the Russian delegation landed at the Istanbul airport at around 3:40 p.m. local time (and Bulgarian time). The negotiations are expected to begin at 7:00 p.m., and their venue will be, as during the previous round, the "Çaraan" palace.
A Ukrainian delegation arrived in Ankara for a bilateral meeting with representatives of Turkey ahead of the talks with Russia scheduled for tonight, Reuters reported earlier today, citing two diplomatic sources from Kiev. Ukraine is ready to take significant steps towards peace and a complete ceasefire.
The talks are expected to begin at 7 p.m. local (and Bulgarian) time at the "Çaraan" palace in Istanbul, a source at the Turkish Foreign Ministry told Reuters.
"This will of course be a very difficult conversation," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday. He added that the main focus would be on the prisoner exchange and that other issues would be discussed if necessary.
The Russian delegation will once again be headed by Vladimir Medinsky, an adviser to President Vladimir Putin and former culture minister. Ukraine's chief negotiator will once again be Rustem Umerov, a former defense minister and newly appointed secretary of the National Security and Defense Council.