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In Istanbul, delegations from Kyiv and Moscow have started the first direct peace talks in more than three years
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Kyiv has accused Russia of “undermining” peace talks in Istanbul by demanding last-minute that Turkish and US representatives are not involved.
The talks were due to get underway at 12:30 local time (10:30 BST), soon after US, Ukrainian and Turkish teams met this morning. Delegations from Moscow and Kyiv have reportedly arrived at the Dolmabahce Palace, where talks are being hosted.
“Yet another sign of the Russian side undermining the peace effort. We came to have a serious conversation, while (the) Russians are putting forward demands, conditions,” a source told Reuters news agency.
Hopes for the Istanbul talks – the first direct meeting in three years – are already low after Vladimir Putin declined to join the talks at Volodymyr Zelensky’s invite, sending instead a low-level team headed by Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky. Mr Zelensky’s team is led by defence minister Rustem Umerov.
Elsewhere in Istanbul, US secretary of state Marco Rubio is meeting the national security advisors of the UK, France and Germany, according to Reuters.
Earlier on Friday, Donald Trump said he will meet Vladimir Putin “as soon as we can set it up.”
Teams from Russia and Ukraine have sat down for the first round of peace talks since March 2022, weeks after Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan is chairing the talks and is giving some opening remarks.
“We have been working hard to bring an end to this war, and Ukrainian president’s visit to Ankara yesterday has actually brought more energy into peace negotiations,” Mr Fidan said.
“For us to progress on the path of peace we have to use each and every opportunity. Every day gone past there are more losses of life, and more atrocities and that doesn’t help anybody.
“So it is very important to have a truce and also to have a permanent ceasefire.
He added: “Now we have an opportunity we need to make use of. From now on it is very important what type of choice we make, what steps we take, and how we determine what steps we take.”
Talks between Russia and Ukraine are due to begin shortly, a source from the Turkish foreign ministry has said.
The teams from Kyiv and Moscow, led by Ukrainian defence minister Rustem Umerov and Putin aide Vladimir Medinsky, have reportedly arrived at the Dolmabahce Palace, the former residence for Ottoman sultans where talks are taking place.
A last-minute snag – in which Ukraine accused Moscow of demanding that Turkish and US representatives not join the talks – appears to have been dealt with.
Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan is set to chair the talks, while Russia’s RIA news agency reported that the head of Turkish intelligence, İbrahim Kalin, would also join the talks.
It has not been confirmed whether Michael Anton, who according to the BBC was due to be the US representative, will be part of the talks.
Vladimir Medinsky, the head of Russia’s delegation in Istanbul, has arrived at the location of peace talks with Ukraine, Russia’s RIA news agency has reported.
Ukrainian officials have also reportedly arrived for the talks.
It comes despite Ukraine’s claims that Moscow is “undermining” peace efforts by demanding last-minute that representatives from US and Turkey are not part of the talks. It is unclear who will be in the room for the talks.
Stay with us for all the key updates.
A meeting between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump is essential but requires advance preparation, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said.
He was commenting after Trump said he would meet Putin “as soon as we can set it up”.
Mr Peskov said such a meeting was essential to discuss Russia-US ties, Ukraine and other international issues.
But he added that it must yield results.
Rustem Umerov, the Ukrainian defence minister who is heading Kyiv’s delegation for talks in Istanbul, has said peace is only possible if Russia agrees to a 30-day ceasefire.
The return of all abducted children and an all-for-all prisoner-of-war swap are also necessary, he added.
Mr Umerov wrote on Facebook that the Ukrainian delegation had come to the meeting to find “real paths to a sustainable and just peace.”
Russia is demanding that talks between Kyiv and Moscow take place without US and Turkish representatives, according to a Ukrainian diplomatic source.
This shows Moscow is “undermining the peace effort” the source added.
Moscow’s demands are likely to be the topic of discussion between Vladimir Medinsky and a US government official, who are currently meeting in an Istanbul hotel, according to Reuters.
“Yet another sign of the Russian side undermining the peace effort. We came to have a serious conversation, while (the) Russians are putting forward demands, conditions. This makes us doubt whether (Russian President Vladimir) Putin sent them to solve issues or just stall the process,” the source said on condition of anonymity.
“There is only one reason for the Russians to be afraid of having the U.S. in the room – they came to stall the process, not solve issues, and they want to hide this from the United States.”
Vladimir Medinsky, the head of Russia’s delegation for peace talks with Ukraine, has reportedly arrived for a meeting with a US government official at a hotel in Istanbul, according to a Reuters witness.
The meeting is set to precede the peace talks between Russia and Urkaine – which were originally scheduled to begin at 12:30 local time (10:30 BST).
Ukraine will make securing a ceasefire a priority in expected talks with a Russian delegation in Istanbul on Friday, a Ukrainian diplomatic source said told Reuters.
Ukrainian negotiators would also raise the possibility of a face-to-face meeting between Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian president Vladimir Putin, the source added.
“We understand that for any diplomacy to be resultative, there needs to be a ceasefire. Real, durable and well-monitored,” the source said. “There also needs to be humanitarian confidence-building measures, such as the return of Ukrainian children, detained civilians, (and the) exchange of prisoners of war on the all-for-all basis.”
US officials will speak with Russian negotiators before they engage in talks with their Ukrainian counterparts, Russian state news agency Tass has reported.
The talks were scheduled to begin at 12:30 local time (10:30am BST).
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