Ukraine, Russia set to resume diplomatic talks in Istanbul on evening of July 23

Delegations from Ukraine and Russia are scheduled to convene once again in Istanbul on the evening of July 23 for a renewed round of talks aimed at advancing efforts to resolve the ongoing conflict.

The meeting will take place at the historic Çırağan Palace, the same venue that hosted their previous discussions, Caliber.Az reports, citing Ukrainian media.

The session is expected to commence at approximately 7 p.m. local time. The palace is located in Istanbul’s Besiktas district, providing a diplomatic setting for these critical negotiations.

The forthcoming talks come amid heightened international efforts to find a peaceful resolution to the conflict, with Türkiye playing a key role as mediator. Both sides will likely focus on areas of contention that remain unresolved from prior meetings, as well as potential pathways to de-escalate tensions.

The previous two rounds were held in Istanbul, and Russian media reports said that the Turkish city likely would also host the meeting this time. The talks in May and June led to a series of exchanges of prisoners of war and the bodies of fallen soldiers, but produced no other agreements.

President Zelenskyy said that at the next Istanbul talks, Ukraine wants to secure the release of more prisoners from Russian captivity and the return of children Ukraine says were abducted.

By Vafa Guliyeva