Turkish president urges peace as Russia-Ukraine talks loom

• Second round of Istanbul talks: The meeting between Russian and Ukrainian delegations is likely to take place on Monday, June 2.
• No documents from Russia: Russia has not delivered the promised memorandum following the prisoner exchange, making preparations for further talks difficult.
• Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hopes the talks will pave the way to peace.

The Turkish President stated that it is very important for the conflicting parties to send "strong delegations" to the talks. A meeting of the leaders of Russia and Ukraine after this round of negotiations would give a stronger impetus to the "peace process."

Zelensky reported that he agreed with Erdogan that the next round of talks with Russia must not be devoid of substance. He also added that for progress to be made in peace negotiations, a ceasefire is necessary.

The second round of Istanbul talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations is likely to take place on Monday, June 2. The previous round of negotiations in Istanbul took place on May 16. Russia sent an exceptionally low-level delegation to these talks in Turkey, led by one of Vladimir Putin's advisors.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier met with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

"We discussed diplomatic efforts - ours and our partners'. Russia ignores all global calls for a ceasefire and continues to kill. Furthermore, Russians have not been able to present the so-called 'memorandum,' which they promised to prepare immediately after a 1000-to-1000 exchange, for over a week. Ukraine has not received any documents from them. Nor has Turkey received any. For the meeting to be meaningful, we need to understand its agenda and properly prepare for the talks. Unfortunately, Russia is doing everything it can to make the next meeting fruitless," the president conveyed on Telegram.

Zelensky emphasized the importance of cooperation with Turkey, which consistently supports Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. "We are grateful for Turkey's clear stance - consistent and full support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity," the president stressed. He added that Turkey played a key role in organizing the meeting that led to the release of a thousand Ukrainian citizens from Russian captivity.

During talks with Fidan, Zelensky highlighted the need to increase sanctions pressure on Russia. "Moscow must stop imposing its terms on the world and start conducting honest negotiations," emphasized the President of Ukraine.