Russian Foreign Ministry: Talks in Istanbul postponed until afternoon

Talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul have been postponed until the afternoon at the initiative of the Turkish side, said Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova. RIA Novosti reports this.

"At the initiative of the Turkish side, the talks have been postponed until the afternoon," Zakharova said at a briefing.

Russian President Vladimir Putin previously proposed that Ukraine resume direct talks without preconditions in Istanbul on May 15. The head of state did not rule out that the parties could reach a ceasefire agreement during the talks. As Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov stated, Russia is committed to seriously seeking ways to achieve a long-term peaceful settlement. According to him, the goals of the proposed talks with Ukraine are to eliminate the root causes of the conflict and ensure Russia's interests.

It was previously reported that the talks between the delegations of the Russian Federation and Ukraine will take place on Thursday afternoon in the same place as in 2022 - in the working office of the administration of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the center of Istanbul. The Russian delegation is headed by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky. It also includes Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Mikhail Galuzin, Chief of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation Igor Kostyukov, and Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin.