Moscow and Kyiv are set to hold their third round of direct peace talks in Turkey on Wednesday evening following two earlier meetings this summer that made little progress toward ending the more-than-three-year war. The Moscow Times takes a look at where the two sides stand ahead of the negotiations: Who will represent Moscow and Kyiv? The Russian delegation will once again be led by Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky, who served in the same role during previous talks, TASS said. Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin and GRU military intelligence chief Igor Kostyukov are also expected to take part.

Kyiv tasked Rustem Umerov, the head of its National Security and Defense Council, with leading the delegation. Umerov also led the previous two rounds of talks in May and June, when he was Ukraine’s defense minister. Other members of the Ukrainian team will include representatives from its military intelligence agency, the foreign ministry and the presidential office. What has already been achieved? The two previous rounds of talks, held on May 16 and June 2 in Istanbul, resulted in agreements to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war each as well as bodies of fallen soldiers. Both sides also exchanged draft memoranda outlining their respective visions for ending the war, with each side setting conditions seen by the other as nonstarters. An especially tense atmosphere hung over the second round of talks as Medinsky — who has published several history books that promote Russian nationalism — invoked the Great Northern War of 1700-1721 as evidence that Moscow was ready to continue fighting Kyiv for as long as it takes. Despite the relative lack of progress during these talks, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday that the “issue” of the war is “so complex that reaching an agreement on prisoner exchanges or the return of bodies is already a tangible outcome.” What is in the peace proposals? Ukraine’s latest framework reiterates that a full and unconditional ceasefire on land, sea and in the air for at least 30 days is a necessary prerequisite for negotiations. It also said that territorial issues can only be discussed after a ceasefire and that Russia’s territorial gains “are not recognized by the international community.” Russia’s version ties a ceasefire to Ukraine’s full withdrawal from the partially Moscow-held Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions. According to documents published by state agencies, Moscow’s proposal also calls for an end to Ukrainian mobilization and Western military support for Kyiv, the withdrawal of foreign personnel from Ukraine and the formal recognition of Crimea and the four partially occupied regions as part of Russia.

The Russian memorandum also calls for Ukraine’s permanent military nonalignment and for restrictions on the size of its armed forces. Kyiv rejects these demands, saying that “Ukraine is not forced to be neutral. It can choose to be part of the Euro-Atlantic community and move towards EU membership.” “Ukraine’s membership in NATO depends on consensus within the Alliance,” the Ukrainian memorandum said. What has changed since the last meeting? While the front line remains largely unchanged since the second round of talks, the broader diplomatic landscape surrounding the war has shifted. U.S. President Donald Trump has taken a more aggressive stance toward the Kremlin, issuing last week a 50-day deadline to resolve the war and allowing Europe to buy U.S. weapons for Ukraine. Washington would impose “very severe tariffs” at about 100% “if we don’t have a deal in 50 days,” Trump said, expressing that he was “very, very unhappy” with Russia. There also would be “secondary tariffs” that target Russia’s remaining trade partners if a peace deal is not reached by then.

A Russian delegation has left for Istanbul where the third round of negotiations with Ukraine could begin as early as Wednesday evening. | X @War_Monitoring

Moscow: A Russian delegation has left for Istanbul where the third round of negotiations with Ukraine could begin as early as Wednesday evening, the country’s media reported.

The delegation from Moscow is headed by the Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky while the Ukrainian delegation is led by the National Security and Defence Council Secretary Rustem Umerov.

The previous two rounds of talks, also held in Istanbul on May 16 and June 2 resulted in the exchange of prisoners but yielded little progress on reaching a ceasefire.

The Ukrainian President had appointed Umerov, a former Defence Minister who headed the Ukrainian delegation in the previous two talks in Istanbul, as Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council last month.

“The momentum of the negotiations must be stepped up,” Zelensky said. “Everything should be done to achieve a ceasefire.”

The Kremlin has downplayed expectations for the upcoming meeting. “We don’t have any reason to hope for some miraculous breakthroughs,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday, calling such outcomes “hardly possible in the current situation.”

Russia intends to “pursue our interests, we intend to ensure our interests and fulfill the tasks that we set for ourselves from the very beginning,” he noted.

Peskov also said that Moscow and Kyiv are “diametrically opposed” in their positions on how to end the conflict, noting that “much work” still needs to be done, Xinhua news agency reported.

Following the last round of peace talks, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the blueprints for a peace deal shared by the two sides were “absolutely contradictory memorandums.”

As Russia demands Ukrainian neutrality, a pledge to stay out of military alliances, and international recognition of Crimea, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson as Russian territories, Ukraine’s memorandum noted the country is “not forced to be neutral.”

“It can choose to be part of the Euro-Atlantic community and move towards EU membership. Ukraine’s membership in NATO depends on consensus within the Alliance,” it said.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian President announced last week that his government will ramp up domestic arms production to meet half the country’s military needs within six months. He added that Ukraine has also developed its own long-range drones to strike deep inside Russia.

(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ’s editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)

The Kremlin has confirmed that Russian and Ukrainian delegates will meet for a third round of peace talks in Turkey on Wednesday evening.

“Our delegation is flying to Istanbul, and indeed negotiations are scheduled to take placed there tonight,” top spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, adding that Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky will lead the Russian side, as he did in the previous two rounds of talks.

“The main topic of discussion will be peace memorandums that were shared during the second round of talks,” Peskov said.

President Vladimir Putin last month called Russian and Ukrainian demands for peace remain “absolutely contradictory,” but noted that the goal of ongoing talks was to “bring these positions together.”

Peskov also told reporters on Wednesday that the two delegations would discuss additional prisoner exchanges during the third round of negotiations. “And, if necessary, other issues will be raised,” he added.

Earlier, Ukraine’s state news agency Ukrinform, citing the communications department of the Turkish presidency, reported the talks would begin at 7 p.m. local time.

According to a source cited by RIA Novosti, the meeting is expected to be held at Çırağan Palace, a former Ottoman palace now operating as a luxury hotel. Peskov did not confirm the exact location.

ALBAWABA – A Russian delegation left Moscow towards Turkey to attend the third round of talks with Ukraine in Istanbul, Russian news agencies said on Wednesday.

“The plane with the Russian delegation has left Moscow for Istanbul,” a source told the state RIA news agency.

Earlier, two peace talks were held between Russian and Ukrainian delegations who met in Turkey in a bid to find a solution and end over three years of war between Moscow and Kyiv, which started in February 2022.

According to RT, the talks are expected to be held at 19:00 Istanbul time.

Ukraine and Russia are set to hold a new round of negotiations in Istanbul on Wednesday evening. According to the Ukrainian state news agency Ukrinform, which cited the Turkish presidential administration, the talks are scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. local time (which matches the time in both Moscow and Kyiv).

Russian state media agency RIA Novosti, citing a “well-informed Turkish source,” also reported that the meeting is expected to take place at 7:00 p.m. at the Çırağan Palace, though it noted that the exact date and time were still being finalized.

Interfax cited sources in both Istanbul and Moscow who confirmed the meeting was planned for Wednesday evening, although the agency did not specify a time.

This will be the third round of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul. The Russian delegation is led by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, while the Ukrainian side is headed by Rustem Umerov, secretary of the National Security and Defense Council and former defense minister.