New round of direct talks between Russia, Ukraine to focus on draft memos

MOSCOW - Russia and Ukraine are expected to hold a third round of direct negotiations this week, focusing on draft memoranda on resolving the conflict, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at a news briefing on Tuesday.

"We hope that the talks between Russia and Ukraine will be held this week," Peskov said. "We will announce the dates as soon as we are ready."

Regarding the potential outcomes of the new round of talks, Peskov stated that "we have no reason to expect any magical breakthroughs, which are hardly likely in the current situation."

On Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that the next meeting of Russian and Ukrainian delegations is scheduled for July 23, with Istanbul remaining the venue for the talks. A source from TASS news agency said that the third round of talks would be held on July 24, a day later.

Zelensky ordered the formation of a delegation to negotiate with Russia, led once again by Rustem Umerov, Secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, according to his Telegram channel.

Zelensky said the delegation will also include representatives from his office, Ukrainian intelligence and the foreign ministry.

In 2022, Zelensky implemented a decision by the National Security and Defense Council, which prohibited members of his government from having direct negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Peskov said both sides had to lay the groundwork before meetings at the highest levels could begin.

Following the two rounds of talks in Istanbul, Russia and Ukraine agreed to exchange prisoners based on the "1,000 for 1,000" formula as well as to return severely injured and young servicemen under 25 in an "all for all" format, with at least 1,000 people from each side.

During the second round of negotiations on June 2, the two sides exchanged draft memoranda outlining proposals for a peaceful resolution to the conflict and reached agreements on the exchange of severely injured prisoners of war and the repatriation of fallen soldiers.