Russia Weighs Return to Istanbul for Peace Talks With Kyiv

Russia is now considering a return to Istanbul for the next round of direct talks with Ukraine.

The Kremlin had earlier rejected the Vatican’s offer to host the talks, citing religious differences as the official reason.

Russian government spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday that Moscow would prefer Istanbul for the talks, which hosted the most recent talks between the two sides.

“For example, the one that hosted the first round of talks,” Peskov said when asked which venues Russia would prefer. “All the rest is a matter of mutual agreement.”

Peskov also said “Absolutely” when asked explicitly about the possibility of returning to Istanbul for the talks, according to Russian state media TASS.

Washington’s Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg said on Tuesday that Geneva in Switzerland could be a potential option, but TASS, citing an unnamed source, said Moscow also shot down that offer.

Peskov’s comments came after a two day visit to Moscow by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan who is also set to visit Kyiv later this week.

The upcoming talks – if they come to fruition – would likely see terms and conditions for a ceasefire proposed by both Kyiv and Moscow as the starting point for a continuation of their earlier talks.

Peskov’s comments came amidst a deteriorating relationship between Washington and Moscow after Russia’s President Vladimir Putin continuously brushed off the West’s calls for a ceasefire to the frustration of US President Donald Trump, who threatened Putin with “really bad things” after the latter launched major attacks across Ukraine over the weekend despite his efforts to mediate an end to the war. 

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On Monday, two senior Western officials also told Kyiv Post’s Washington correspondent that Trump is “seriously considering” lifting all Joe Biden-era restrictions on Ukraine’s warfighting.

What happened last time around?

Putin initiated the May 16 Istanbul talks – the first round of talks between Kyiv and Moscow in over three years – as a response to the West’s ceasefire ultimatum earlier the same month.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asked Putin to attend in person, which the Russian leader declined.

The Istanbul talks resulted in a 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner exchange but no ceasefire. The parties also discussed the potential for meeting between Zelensky and Putin but did not reach a consensus.

Following the talks, a phone call took place between Trump and Putin, during which Putin proposed each side produce a memorandum to summarize the move towards a ceasefire to be negotiated directly with Kyiv also without accepting a ceasefire.

Kellogg likened the memoranda as summary of terms, adding on Tuesday that he received Kyiv’s but was waiting for one from Moscow.

The Kremlin has not revealed its version of the memorandum at the time of publication, but Reuters, citing “Russian sources with knowledge of the negotiations,” said the document would include the same maximalist demands as before to include along with a freeze on NATO expansion, removal of sanctions, and Ukraine’s permanent neutrality – effectively calling for Ukraine’s surrender.