New round of Russia-Ukraine talks end in Istanbul

ISTANBUL - Russia and Ukraine have concluded their fresh round of face-to-face peace talks here on Tuesday, which lasted for about three hours.

Following the talks, the two sides made statements to reporters respectively. Ukrainian negotiators named several countries who could act as guarantors, while Russian delegates said Moscow would scale down its military operations in Ukraine.

David Arakhamia, a Ukrainian delegate, said that Kyiv wants to see several countries, such as Canada, Poland, Israel, and Turkey, as guarantors, which could provide international protection to Ukraine.

"If any other country wants to join they can do so," he said, noting that the agreement with Russia will be signed together with the guarantor countries.

Ukrainian presidential adviser and negotiator Mykhailo Podolyak told reporters that the results of Tuesday's meeting are sufficient for a meeting at the leaders' level.

Meanwhile, according to the Anadolu news agency, Vladimir Medinsky, head of the Russian delegation, said the talks in Istanbul were "constructive", and the presidents of the two countries may meet only when a draft of a peace treaty is approved.

Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin, who participated in the talks, pledged to drastically decrease military activities in Kyiv and the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv, to create the necessary conditions for dialogue.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Istanbul's meeting was the most meaningful progress since the start of the negotiations.

"We are extremely happy to see an increased rapprochement between the two sides at every stage," Cavusoglu added.