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Türkiye will host a new round of peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine on Wednesday evening at Istanbul's Ciragan Palace, marking the third attempt at diplomatic progress since talks resumed in May amid intensifying pressure from the United States to reach a cease-fire agreement.
The trilateral meeting, scheduled to begin around 7 p.m. local time, will be chaired by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, with National Intelligence Organization head Ibrahim Kalın and Chief of General Staff Gen. Metin Gurak also participating in the Turkish delegation. Fidan's opening remarks will be broadcast live, according to Turkish officials who said broadcast frequencies would be shared.
The Russian delegation will include Vladimir Medinsky, deputy head of the Russian Federation, and Mikhail Galuzin, deputy foreign minister. Ukraine will send National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov and First Deputy Foreign Minister Sergiy Kyslytsya.
The talks come after two previous rounds in Istanbul on May 16 and June 2 failed to produce significant breakthroughs toward ending the conflict that began with Russia's invasion in February 2022. However, both sides successfully negotiated prisoner exchanges and agreements on repatriating soldiers' remains, representing the most tangible diplomatic achievements between the warring parties.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the renewed diplomatic effort in his nightly address Monday, saying Ukraine had proposed the meeting for Wednesday. "Today, I discussed with Defense Minister Rustem Umerov the preparations for the exchange and another meeting in Türkiye with the Russian side," Zelenskyy said. "Umerov reported that the meeting is scheduled for Wednesday. More details will be available tomorrow."
The Ukrainian leader has consistently emphasized the need for accelerated diplomatic progress, stating that "negotiation dynamics must be increased" and calling on Russia to "stop avoiding decisions." He has also stressed the necessity of a leaders-level meeting to achieve lasting peace, declaring "Ukraine is ready for such a meeting."
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova confirmed last week that Moscow's delegation was "ready to go to Istanbul for the third round of negotiations," while expressing hope that "Kyiv will act in accordance with the agreements provided and continue the negotiation process."
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov acknowledged Monday that "a lot of diplomatic work lies ahead," while noting that Russia is still awaiting further proposals from Ukraine before moving forward.
The previous negotiations centered on cease-fire terms, prisoner exchanges and humanitarian corridors, but the sides remain far apart on fundamental issues that have defined the conflict.
Russia has presented hardline demands including Ukrainian territorial concessions beyond the four regions it currently claims, in addition to Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014. The Kremlin also insists Ukraine abandon any plans to join the NATO military alliance.
Ukraine has categorically rejected these conditions and expressed skepticism about Russia's commitment to a genuine cease-fire. Kyiv has questioned the value of continuing talks without meaningful compromise from Moscow, particularly as Russia has launched intense air attacks on Ukraine and seized additional frontline territory since the June talks concluded.
At June talks, Russia presented what Ukrainian officials described as unacceptable demands, including further territorial concessions and a complete rejection of Western military support. The failure to reach agreement on these core issues has left negotiators focusing primarily on prisoner exchanges and humanitarian measures while broader peace terms remain elusive.
The talks resume under mounting pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, who last week gave Russia 50 days to negotiate a deal or face 100% secondary tariffs.
"I thought we would have had a deal two months ago, but it doesn't seem to get there," Trump said during a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. "So, based on that, we're going to be doing secondary tariffs. If we don't have a deal in 50 days, it's very simple—and they'll be 100%."
Trump also announced that the United States will supply weapons to Ukraine through NATO, but said the full cost would be covered by European allies. "We made a deal today … We are going to be sending them weapons that they are going to be paying for. The United States will not be having any payment made. We're not buying it, but we will manufacture it, and they're going to be paying for it," Trump said.
The American president referred to the ongoing conflict as "Biden's war," saying, "I would like to see it end. It wasn't my war ... I'm trying to get you out of it." His administration has renewed arms supplies to Ukraine while simultaneously threatening heavy sanctions on Russia if diplomatic progress fails to materialize within the specified timeframe.
Despite the broader diplomatic impasse, both sides have successfully implemented agreements reached during previous Istanbul meetings, particularly regarding prisoner exchanges and the repatriation of soldiers' remains. Last week, Russia returned the bodies of 1,000 deceased persons to Ukraine, according to a statement from Ukraine's government body coordinating prisoner of war treatment.
The Ukrainian statement said Russia claimed the deceased were Ukrainian citizens, including soldiers, though Kyiv has previously accused Moscow of disguising killed Russian soldiers as Ukrainians in repatriation deals. Russian negotiator Medinsky reported that Ukraine transferred the remains of 19 killed Russian soldiers in return, posting photographs showing medical personnel in white suits lifting body bags from refrigerated trucks.
Such exchanges of captured soldiers and repatriation of remains have occurred regularly throughout the three-year conflict, representing among the few successful diplomatic initiatives between the warring sides. Ukrainian and Russian negotiators have continued to work on implementing these agreements, with diplomatic teams from both sides actively focused on organizing additional exchanges based on previously established frameworks.
Zelenskyy noted that "negotiations with the Russian side on prisoner exchange issues continue. We continue to fulfill the agreements reached at the last meeting in Istanbul. The team is currently working on another exchange."
Türkiye has positioned itself as a neutral mediator throughout the conflict, hosting multiple rounds of talks and facilitating prisoner exchanges between the warring parties. The use of Istanbul's historic Ciragan Palace for Wednesday's meeting comes as Türkiye continues to pursue a diplomatic role in seeking to end Europe's largest conflict since World War II, even as fundamental disagreements between Moscow and Kyiv remain unresolved.
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