TASS: Istanbul remains venue for next round of Russia-Ukraine peace talks

Istanbul has been confirmed as the venue for the upcoming round of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, according to a source cited by the Russian news agency TASS.

“Yes, Istanbul is an acceptable platform,” the source said in response to inquiries, Caliber.Az reports.

On July 19, Ukraine’s Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, Rustem Umerov, proposed that Moscow hold a new round of negotiations next week, as announced by President Zelenskyy on Telegram.

The first Russia-Ukraine ceasefire since the start of the war ocurred in late March 2022, when high-level delegations from both sides met in Istanbul. The talks concluded with the Istanbul Communiqué—a draft peace framework proposing Ukraine’s neutrality (ending NATO aspirations), limiting foreign military presence, and establishing security guarantees from Russia and Western powers.

Following a three-year pause in direct negotiations, the first in-person talks resumed in Istanbul in May 2025. These talks, led by Rustem Umerov (Ukraine) and Vladimir Medinsky (Russia), concluded with an agreement on a large prisoner exchange involving 1,000 prisoners from each side and arrangements for the repatriation of thousands of bodies of fallen soldiers. 

In June 2025, the second round of talks took place in Istanbul, which lasted just over an hour and produced limited progress. The parties reaffirmed commitments to prisoner swaps and repatriation of bodies (6,000 each), but remained divided over a full ceasefire and core territorial issues, including the status of Crimea and Ukraine’s potential NATO membership. During this round, Ukraine also highlighted the issue of forcibly deported children, which Russia dismissed as a political show.

Throughout the conflict, Istanbul has emerged as the main diplomatic hub where Russia and Ukraine continue to engage, with Türkiye playing a key mediating role. Despite ongoing dialogue, fundamental disagreements remain over ceasefire conditions, territorial sovereignty, and security arrangements.

By Khagan Isayev