“The Russian side has repeatedly emphasized that we are ready to continue direct negotiations with the Ukrainian side. We have also consistently emphasized that our Turkish partners can continue to use the Istanbul platform, and these doors remain open,” Ivanov told Russia’s state-run TASS news agency.
He said Russia has so far presented several initiatives, including a proposal to form three online working groups, but “unfortunately, we have not yet received a positive response from the Ukrainian side.”
Ivanov added that Moscow remains open to dialogue “if Kiev shows political will.”
Meanwhile, Rustem Umerov, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, who is leading the Kiev delegation for direct negotiations with Russia, arrived in Istanbul on Tuesday.
He said in a telegram that the visit was aimed at resuming the exchange of prisoners. “Recently, I will be working with Turkiye in the Middle East to remove obstacles to the exchange process. There was an agreement, so we need to implement it,” he said.
Russia and Ukraine held three rounds of renewed peace talks in Istanbul this year and agreed to exchange prisoners of war and civilians. They also shared a memorandum of understanding outlining their respective missions to end the war, which began in February 2022.
The Russian government had proposed creating three online working groups to address political, military and humanitarian issues, but progress appears to have stalled since then.
MNA