Milan, June 2 (LaPresse) – The second round of direct talks between Russia and Ukraine has begun in Istanbul, following the first meeting held on May 16. The news was reported by Russian news agencies. The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also confirmed the start of the meeting. According to the Turkish news agency Anadolu, Turkey is also participating. The Ukrainian delegation is led by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and, according to Anadolu, also includes Deputy Foreign Minister Sergiy Kyslytsya, SBU deputy chief Oleksandr Poklad, and Deputy Head of the Foreign Intelligence Service Oleh Luhovskyi. On the Russian side, the delegation is led by Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to President Vladimir Putin, and includes Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, Deputy Defense Minister Aleksandr Fomin, and Chief of the General Staff’s Main Directorate Igor Kostyukov. The talks are being held at Istanbul’s Çırağan Palace and are chaired by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who delivered an opening speech. Recent comments by senior Russian and Ukrainian officials suggest that the two sides remain far apart on the key conditions for ending the war.
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