Vladimir Medinsky, an assistant to the President of Russia and head of the Russian delegation in the Istanbul negotiations, stated that the Russian delegation is prepared to travel to Turkey for talks with Ukraine if given the appropriate directive.
This statement came in response to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's announcement that Ankara is ready to once again offer a venue for negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv.
Medinsky's comment, "If given the directive, we will go," was made to the Telegram channel Shot, following Erdogan's readiness to facilitate dialogue between Russia and Ukraine.
The initial negotiations between Russia and Ukraine since the beginning of the special military operation took place in March 2022 in Belarus but did not yield substantial results.
Another round of talks was held in Istanbul on March 29, 2022, where Moscow received from Kyiv the documented principles of a potential future agreement for the first time. This proposed agreement included commitments to Ukraine's neutral, non-aligned status and its refusal to host foreign military forces, including nuclear weapons, on its territory.
In November 2023, David Arakhamia, the leader of the "Servant of the People" party in the Ukrainian parliament, in an interview with the "1+1" TV channel, commented on Kyiv's refusal to negotiate with Moscow in 2022.
He noted that upon the Ukrainian delegation's return from Istanbul, Boris Johnson, the then British Prime Minister, visited Kyiv and stated, "We are not going to sign anything with them at all," and suggested to "just keep fighting."
