Top Russian diplomat says Istanbul possible venue for second round of Ukraine peace talks

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday that the Turkish metropolis Istanbul could host the second round of direct negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv to find a settlement for the ongoing Ukraine war.

“As for the second round of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, if you ask me, I would again turn to our Turkish friends. Istanbul is very good,” Lavrov said during a joint news conference following talks with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Moscow.

Türkiye facilitated the first direct talks between Russia and Ukraine in three years in Istanbul on May 16, where the two sides agreed to a large-scale exchange of prisoners involving a total of 1,000 people from each side and to continue negotiations for a truce.

The two foreign ministers met on the second day of Fidan's working visit to Moscow where he previously met with Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, leader of the Russian delegation at the Russia-Ukraine talks held in Istanbul on May 16, and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Fidan once again expressed Türkiye's readiness for negotiations and extended Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's support for the process.

Lavrov also said Ankara and Moscow share a unified position with regard to the situation in Gaza, describing the violence in the besieged strip and the West Bank as “unacceptable.”

Both Lavrov and Fidan stated their concern for the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, with Fidan calling for the “genocide in Gaza must stop at once, otherwise a chaos that can engulf Israel will be unstoppable.”

The Turkish foreign minister also stated the common support of Türkiye and Russia for Syria's sovereignty and unity during the briefing.