Putin says he is ready for new round of talks with Ukraine in Istanbul and potential meeting with Trump

Russian ruler Vladimir Putin has announced that he is ready for a third round of negotiations with Ukraine, saying that Russia is prepared to meet in Istanbul, but the "time and place" still need to be agreed upon.

Source: Putin during a visit to Belarus on 27 June, as reported by Kremlin-aligned Russian news agency RIA Novosti

Quote from Putin: "As expected, the Russian and Ukrainian memorandums are two completely opposite documents, but negotiations are held to find common ground…

We agreed that after the completion of this stage [the exchange of bodies – ed.], we would hold a third round of talks. Overall, we are ready for this. The time and place need to be agreed. I hope that Turkish President Erdoğan will continue to support this process. We are ready to hold such a meeting in Istanbul.

As for the exact date, that is for the heads of the negotiating teams on both sides [to decide] – and they are in constant operational contact, by the way. They speak on the phone regularly. They are currently discussing the timing of the next meeting. What will the meeting be about? It should focus on discussing both sides’ memoranda."

Details: Putin did not say whether he would attend the negotiations in person.

He also stated that a meeting with US President Donald Trump, who is pushing both Russia and Ukraine towards negotiations, is "entirely possible", adding: "We would be happy to prepare for it."

Putin added that Trump "sincerely seeks a resolution of the issue", meaning Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Quote from Putin: "He recently said that it has turned out to be more difficult than it looked from the outside. And that’s true. There’s nothing surprising about that. It’s one thing to observe from the sidelines, quite another to dive into the issue. I think the same is happening in the Middle East."

Background:

• At the negotiations in Istanbul on 2 June, the Ukrainian and Russian delegations agreed on an all-for-all exchange of seriously wounded service members and those aged 18-25. Several exchanges have taken place since.
• On 19 June, Putin said that Russia is seeking to end the war against Ukraine "as soon as possible", adding that the Russian delegation would be prepared to meet with the Ukrainian side again after 22 June.
• On 26 June, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that the date for the third round of direct Ukraine-Russia talks in Istanbul would be decided after all the exchange procedures agreed on 2 June had been completed.
• Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umierov said Ukraine planned to raise the issue of a meeting between President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Putin after the humanitarian issues had been addressed.
• Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said Trump is willing to attend peace talks between the leaders of Ukraine and Russia in Türkiye if Putin also agrees to participate.

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