The second round of talks between Russia and Ukraine were held at the historic Çırağan Palace on the Bosphorus in Istanbul this week, a fortnight after the first meeting on 16 May.
The Russian delegation was headed by Vladimir Medinsky, adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin, while the Ukrainian delegation was led by Defence Minister Rustam Umerov, whose family are from Crimea, the peninsula annexed by Russia.
Türkiye has been trying to mediate between Russia and Ukraine since 2022, when Russia first invaded, and has kept communication channels open with both sides. Last week, Fidan embarked on a round of shuttle diplomacy, meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv.
As he did for the first, Fidan chaired the second meeting between the two delegations, which lasted just over an hour. In it, he emphasised that a sustainable peace would be a solution to global issues such as energy, food, and transport security, adding that Türkiye is ready to help in a variety of ways.
Outlining positions
Moscow and Kyiv reportedly agreed to outline their positions before they met, so these could be used as the basis for discussions. Ukraine did so, but Russia delivered the document at the meeting itself, giving the Ukrainians no chance to consider the proposal and agree a response.
The key point in Ukraine’s roadmap to peace is an unconditional and general ceasefire as the first step for a peace deal. Other listed items include the exchange of prisoners, the return of children abducted by Russia, the release of all civilians, and the suggestion of a meeting between Putin and Zelensky at the end of the month. But Ukraine also said it would not abandon its policy of joining the European Union and the NATO security alliance, and called for security guarantees against any future Russian aggression.