Next round of Russia-Ukraine talks to be held in İstanbul

Diplomats from the two countries have held several meetings in Belarus since the end of February.

İstanbul

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The next meeting of the negotiating teams of Russia and Ukraine will take place in İstanbul, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and President Vladimir Putin of Russia have agreed.

In a phone call late yesterday (March 27), Erdoğan and Putin discussed the latest developments and negotiation process in the Russia-Ukraine war, said a statement by the Presidency Communications Directorate.

Stressing the need for an immediate cease-fire and peace between Russia and Ukraine as well as steps to improve the humanitarian situation in the region, Erdoğan told his counterpart that Turkey would continue to lend every kind of support to this process, according to the statement.

No date was initially announced for the meeting. Later, it was confirmed that the first meeting will take place today.

Diplomats from the two countries have held several meetings in Belarus since the end of February, with no agreements reached.

On March 10, foreign ministers of Turkey, Russia and Ukraine held a tripartite meeting in Antalya, southern Turkey.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine

On February 24, explosions were reported in several Ukrainian provinces, including the capital Kyiv, after Russia's President Vladimir Putin announced a 'special military operation' in the Donbas region.

Tensions had started escalating late last year when Ukraine, the US and its allies accused Russia of amassing tens of thousands of troops on the border with Ukraine. They claimed Russia was preparing to invade its western neighbor, which was consistently rejected by Moscow.

Defying threats of sanctions by the West, Moscow officially recognized Donetsk and Luhansk as independent states in late February, followed by the start of the invasion of Ukraine.

President Vladimir Putin said the operation aims to protect people "subjected to genocide" by Kyiv and to "demilitarize and de-Nazify" Ukraine, while calling on the Ukrainian army to lay down its arms.

At least 1,119 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since the start of the war, and more than 1,700 others have been injured, according to the UN estimates.

More than 3.8 million Ukrainians have also fled to neighboring countries, with over 6.5 million more displaced inside the country, according to the UN refugee agency.

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(RT/VK)

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