Istanbul's Dolmabahçe presidential office eyed for next round of Russia–Ukraine negotiations

A new round of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine is expected to be held at the working office of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Istanbul, according to a well-informed source.

The source told Prime news agency that the most likely venue is once again the presidential working office in Dolmabahçe, a location near the historic Dolmabahçe Palace in one of Istanbul’s most active and crowded districts.

During the first round of talks at this venue, more than 250 journalists were in attendance, creating congestion in the area and causing inconvenience for both tourists and local residents, particularly those trying to access the nearby ferry terminal.

At the upcoming session, both sides are expected to exchange memoranda outlining their respective positions on the negotiation process.

The first face-to-face meeting in years between the Ukrainian and Russian delegations was held in Türkiye on May 16. That round of talks led to an agreement on a significant prisoner exchange deal based on a “1,000-for-1,000” framework. The exchange was successfully implemented in three phases over the past weekend.

By Tamilla Hasanova