Moscow, Kyiv resume peace talks in Istanbul

Istanbul, Mar 29 (EFE).- Russian and Ukrainian negotiators Tuesday resumed face-to-face peace talks in Istanbul in a bid to end the war in Ukraine as it enters its 34th day.

Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomed both delegations at his office in Dolmabahce Palace as he remains optimistic of a ceasefire deal.

“With a sense of responsibility, I am sure they can reach a permanent ceasefire,” Erdogan said during a speech to the warring sides’ delegations.

The Turkish leader also expressed his confidence that the two-day meeting would open a way for a high-level summit with the heads of government.

Erdogan, who is set to fly to Uzbekistan after his speech, clarified Turkey will not be mediating directly in these talks.

Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov and his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, met in the Turkish city of Antalya on March 10, the first face-to-face discussions held between the top diplomats since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24.

The talks, however, did not lead to any significant progress.

Last week, Erdogan said the warring sides had reached a consensus on four of the six main issues to end the war, including Kyiv’s commitment not to join Nato.

But there had been no progress regarding the situation in Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, and the breakaway eastern Ukrainian separatist region of Donbass.EFE

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