Turkish diplomats and representatives from the Ukrainian and Russian delegations have arrived in Istanbul to begin a new round of peace talks from Tuesday aimed at ending the ongoing war.
The in-person talks slated to begin at 10.30 a.m. (local time, about 1 p.m. IST), will be hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Dolmabahce Presidential Working Office in Istabul’s Besiktas district, reports Xinhua news agency.
While Russian delegation has checked in to the Ciragan Palace Kempinski Hotel, the Ukrainian delegation has chosen to stay at the Shangri-La Bosphorus hotel, which is very close to each other in district.
It was reported that the Ukrainian delegation had been postponed to evening hours due to the closure of their country’s airspace and some logistical problems.
According to the National Television broadcaster, Ukrainian delegates had to travel by road to fly to Istanbul.
“Tomorrow morning, we will have a meeting with the delegations from other countries,” Erdogan said at a press conference after a cabinet meeting in the Turkish capital Ankara on Monday.
In-person talks between Russia and Ukraine have taken place in Belarus, with their fourth session taking place in a video conference format.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has demanded that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky abandon any intention of joining NATO, an issue the Ukrainian president said he is willing to compromise on.
Other issues expected to be discussed include the fate of separatist-held regions in Ukraine’s east, as well as the status of Crimea, which was formally annexed by Russia in 2014.
Turkey has increasingly accelerated its diplomatic efforts in the international arena, reiterating its policy that it is prepared to play a mediator role for lasting peace in the region.
In a phone call on Sunday, Erdogan told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that he needed the ceasefire and peace between Moscow and Kiev to be achieved as soon as possible in order to improve the humanitarian situation in the region.
Erdogan emphasized that Turkey would continue to contribute in every possible way during this process.
The “phone traffic” that Putin and Zelensky have been conducting with each other is progressing in a positive direction, Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday.
Turkey has been exerting significant efforts to resolve the crisis through agreement and dialogue, he said.
The Foreign Minister of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, clarified that “we are not trading people, land or sovereignty” during a press conference.
The Minister said that the government will work on a “minimum programme” of humanitarian questions and a “maximum programme” to reach an agreement on a ceasefire.
Ukrainian Interior Minister adviser Vadym Denysenko said that he doubted there would be any breakthrough with the search for the missing Malaysian airliner.
Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said talks so far had not yielded any substantial progress, but it was important they continued in person. He declined to give more information.
In an interview with Newsweek, a senior US State Department official cast doubt on hopes for progress in the war. “I don’t see Putin as ready to make compromises,” the official said.