Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow was ready for a new round of peace talks with Ukraine in Istanbul, although the location and time of the discussions have not been agreed upon yet.
Putin said there were big differences between the proposals submitted by the two sides at previous talks, but expressed hope that continued dialogue would help narrow the gap.
He told reporters in Minsk that the two sides' negotiators were in constant contact. Russia was ready to return the bodies of 3,000 more Ukrainian soldiers, he said.
Putin said the date of the third round of the Russian-Ukrainian talks in Istanbul would be determined after completing the war prisoner exchanges, negotiated in Türkiye on June 2.
"In general, we are ready for this (next round of talks), we need to coordinate the place and time. I hope that the president of the Republic of Türkiye, Mr. (Recep Tayyip) Erdoğan, remains in his position to support this process, and we are very grateful to him for this," he said.
The dates of the next Russian-Ukrainian meeting will be defined by the head of the negotiation teams, he added.
"We are ready to hold such a meeting in Istanbul. But when specifically, these are the group leaders from both sides, and they are in constant contact, they are now agreeing on the time of the meeting," he said.
Putin added that in his opinion, the teams should discuss memoranda on a peace treaty.
The two countries held the previous round of peace talks in Istanbul. Last month, they agreed on a new prisoner exchange and in May, they agreed on the biggest prisoner swap of the war, with each side freeing 1,000 prisoners.
NATO member Türkiye is one of the most active countries working to ensure a permanent cease-fire between Ukraine and Russia. Its delicately balanced act of assuming a role as a mediator by keeping communication channels with both warring sides open provides a glimmer of hope in diplomatic efforts to find a solution and achieve peace in the Ukraine crisis. With its unique position of having friendly relations with both Russia and Ukraine, Türkiye has won widespread praise for its push to end the war.
While Ankara has opposed international sanctions designed to isolate Moscow, it also closed its straits to prevent some Russian vessels from crossing through them.
