Fidan։ "Turkey awaits Ukrainian response on timeframes of next Istanbul meeting"

Turkey awaits Ukraine’s response regarding the timelines of holding a third round of Istanbul talks, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said.

"Russia has expressed readiness to hold a third round of talks. Now we are waiting for a reply from the Ukrainian side," TRT Haber television quoted Turkey’s top diplomat as saying following his participation in the BRICS summit in Brazil.

According to Fidan, Turkey is also ready to host a leaders’ meeting on Ukraine. "There is no problem with organizing a leaders’ meeting in Turkey," he said.

The Turkish foreign minister described as successful the two previous rounds of direct talks on resolving the Ukraine conflict in Istanbul. "The two previous rounds of talks enabled a record exchange in prisoners of war and the bodies of fallen soldiers," Fidan noted. Both sides are satisfied with the humanitarian aspect of the negotiation process, he added. "The question is how to ensure a permanent or temporary ceasefire and whether that will be done at a summit involving the leaders or during talks. Discussions on this issue are ongoing. The sides have various ideas," he stated.