Kremlin accepts new negotiations with Ukraine

Russia sees merit in holding the third round of negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul, the city that hosted the first two talks, sources in the Russian negotiating team said on Sunday.

"Yes, Istanbul is an acceptable venue," a Russian representative confirmed to the TASS news agency.

Moscow confirmed that it had received the Ukrainian proposal to resume negotiations next week, but didn't specify a possible date. The Kremlin said it agreed with Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelensky's proposal. "This is a positive signal. We fully agree. In fact, we are also in favour of intensifying the negotiation process," Russian presidential spokesman Dmitri Peskov told a daily press conference.

For his part, Volodymir Zelensky raised the possibility of a meeting between the leaders of the 2 countries and stressed that Ukraine was ready for such a step. "We need a meeting of leaders to guarantee a truly lasting peace. Ukraine is ready for such a meeting," he declared.

(MH with AmBar - Source : Euronews - Photo : © Unsplash)