Turkish foreign minister mediated Moscow-Kyiv meeting in Istanbul - Ukrainian security council

The Centre for Countering Disinformation under Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council (NSDC) has revealed that Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan acted as a mediator at a meeting between Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky and Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov ahead of the plenary negotiation session in Istanbul.

"The meeting took place in the presence of Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who acted as a mediator," reads the statement published on the Centre’s Telegram channel, as per Caliber.Az.

The centre claims that no "behind-the-scenes agreements" were reached during the meeting.

To recall, on June 2, Russian and Ukrainian delegations convened in Istanbul for a second round of peace talks aimed at resolving the ongoing conflict. The discussions lasted a little longer than one hour, with a ceasefire agreement couldn't be reached. The only tangible outcome was a mutual deal on the swap of prisoners of war (PoWs) and repatriation of the remains of fallen soldiers.

Both parties agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war each, including seriously wounded and young captives. An additional exchange involving 200 political prisoners and journalists was also agreed upon.

The conflicting parties also arrived at a consensus to return the bodies of 6,000 deceased soldiers to their respective countries.

A significant point of contention was Ukraine's call for the return of 339 children allegedly abducted during the conflict. Russia dismissed this appeal, agreeing to discuss the return of only ten children.

Ukraine proposed a 30-day ceasefire, supported by the United States, to de-escalate hostilities and pave the way for a comprehensive peace agreement. However, Russia rejected this proposal, offering instead a limited three-day ceasefire solely to facilitate the PoW exchange. Moscow reiterated its demands for Ukraine's demilitarisation and the annexation of Russian-occupied territories as prerequisites for a broader truce.

By Khagan Isayev