The second round of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine has begun

Istanbul, June 2 – The second round of direct negotiations between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations began today in the Turkish city of Istanbul, the Eurasian country's Foreign Ministry reported.

The statement specified that although both the Russian and Ukrainian delegations, as well as the Turkish hosts, arrived on time, the talks, which are being held behind closed doors, began almost two hours later than agreed.

Before the talks began, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan delivered welcoming remarks.

The Russian delegation is led by Kremlin advisor Vladimir Medinski, while the Ukrainian delegation is headed by the country's Defense Minister Rustem Umérov.

A distinctive feature of this second round is the fact that some of the Ukrainian delegates arrived at the Ciragan Palace in Istanbul dressed in military uniforms.

On 28 May, the head of Russian diplomacy, Sergei Lavrov, announced that the next round of direct talks between Moscow and Kiev would take place on 2 June in Istanbul, where Russia would hand over to the Ukrainian delegation its terms of reference for an agreement to end the conflict.

The Russian and Ukrainian delegations resumed direct talks in Istanbul on May 16 for the first time in more than three years.

At that meeting, the parties agreed to a massive prisoner exchange under the thousand-for-thousand formula, which was completed in three successive rounds from May 23 to 25. (Text and photo: PL)