Fruitful negotiations in Istanbul between the delegations of Russia and Ukraine

The Russian and Ukrainian delegations and the Turkish sponsor considered that the peace talks that took place in Istanbul on Tuesday have made progress to resolve the conflict and stop the war that has been going on for more than a month.

"We will agree to the status of neutrality provided that there are security guarantees," the Ukrainian delegation said after the three-day talks.

The Kyiv delegation indicated that the results of the Istanbul talks allow a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky.

But he considered that "the first gain for us is the transfer of negotiations from Belarus to Turkey," noting that "the Russian delegation has always insisted on its opinion, and dealing with it was very difficult, but there is attention and listening to what we propose."

The Ukrainian delegation revealed that work is underway to sign an agreement on the borders "in which we must achieve security," noting at the same time that "the discussion with Russia on Crimea has been postponed until after the establishment of peace."

The Ukrainian delegation stressed that "no agreements with Moscow have been signed so far, and that there will be a public referendum in Ukraine on any (possible) agreement," noting that "talks with the Russian side will continue during the coming period."

The delegation also stressed that "no one can prevent Ukraine from joining the European Union".

He also referred to Kyiv's desire for Israel, Poland, Canada and Turkey to be guarantor countries, stressing at the same time that "no agreement can be reached except with the withdrawal of the Russian army to its regions on February 23."

For its part, the Russian negotiating delegation considered that "today's talks with the Ukrainian delegation were constructive, and they have begun to move to the practical stage."

After the end of Tuesday's talks, the Russian side affirmed, "We are ready to take two steps to reduce the escalation in Ukraine, one political and the other military."

"The reduction of hostilities in Ukraine is aimed at creating an atmosphere conducive to negotiations," he said.

The delegation stated that "some details were agreed upon and will be studied by the Russian Foreign Ministry."

"We do not oppose Ukraine's accession to the European Union," the Russian negotiating delegation said.

He pointed out that "a meeting between Putin and Zelensky is possible, if we reach an agreement with Ukraine."

The Russian delegation called on Ukraine to punish those who committed torture crimes against Russian prisoners.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said: "We can say that the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations have begun to produce peace and a convergence of views," and that "the understanding has not been approached in any negotiations as far as it has been reached today."

"An agreement was reached on some points between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations," Davutoglu said, noting that "a ceasefire must be reached in Ukraine as soon as possible."

He pointed out that "the two delegations talked to meet the leaders of the two countries, and a meeting is currently being planned between the two foreign ministers."

"We expect negotiations in the coming days to talk about the terms of the agreement and the meeting between Putin and Zelensky," he said.

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