The third round of talks between Ukraine and Russia may take place in Istanbul soon. According to Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Moscow has already agreed. Ankara is now waiting for a response from the Ukrainian side.
This was reported by the Turkish portal Memurlar.net, citing Fidan's speech.
"Russia has declared its readiness for the third round of talks in Istanbul. Now we are waiting for Ukraine's response. These negotiations were the closest moment to peace between the parties ," the Turkish diplomat said.
He also commented on the idea of a possible joint meeting of four leaders - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, former US President Donald Trump, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"In principle, there is no problem with Mr. Trump, Mr. Putin and Mr. Zelensky, as well as our president, participating in a joint meeting ," Fidan said.
Politico journalist John Hudson previously reported that Trump, who is expected to run in the US presidential election, could act as a mediator in negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow. Some in Turkish political circles believe that Ankara could be an ideal venue for such a meeting, given its neutral position and existing experience of moderating between the two sides.
Recall that the previous round of negotiations in Istanbul took place on June 2, 2025. Then the parties agreed on the format of the exchange of "all for all": it was about prisoners of war aged 18-25, as well as the seriously wounded and seriously ill. The issue of transferring the bodies of the dead in a ratio of 6,000 to 6,000 people was discussed separately.
Although there have been no statements from the Office of the President of Ukraine about readiness for a new round, sources in Ukrainian diplomatic circles have previously hinted that the defining condition is the inclusion of security guarantees for Ukraine, in particular after the meeting in the format of the "Global Peace Summit" in Switzerland.
