Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that Moscow remains ready to resume peace negotiations with Ukraine on the basis of proposals discussed during earlier talks in Istanbul, signaling that Russia still views the framework as a potential foundation for a settlement to the conflict.
Türkiye previously hosted peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, first in the initial weeks of the ongoing four-year war and later in mid-2025. Three rounds of renewed peace talks were held last year in Istanbul, on May 16, June 2, and July 23, which produced major prisoner swaps and draft memorandums outlining positions of both sides for a potential peace deal.
Under U.S. mediation, Moscow and Kyiv also held three rounds of peace talks earlier this year on Jan. 23-24, Feb. 4-5, and Feb. 17-18. The first two were in Abu Dhabi, while the third took place in Geneva. Since then, negotiations have been paused with both Moscow and Kyiv attributing the halt in Russia-Ukraine peace talks to the U.S.'s focus on Iran.
