The delegations of Russia and Ukraine begin a new round of peace talks, the venue of which will be Istanbul. The negotiation process between Moscow and Kiev, which started a month ago in Belarus, has not yet made it possible to transfer the Ukrainian settlement to a political and diplomatic channel. Numerous statements by the parties show that despite several previous rounds, each of them understands the main task of the negotiations in its own way.. In this situation, the meeting in Istanbul can lead to a rapprochement of positions only on some issues that are not related to the most difficult topic - the ceasefire, the withdrawal of troops and the return of the occupied Crimea and Donbas.

Ukrainian-Russian talks starting this morning will be held in Istanbul's Dolmabahce Palace and will be closed to the press.

Holding a new round of talks, scheduled for March 29-30, was the initiative of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

On the eve of the office of the Turkish leader reported on his telephone conversation with Putin, which took place on Sunday. As follows from Ankara's official statement, "

“We are aware of the responsibility and trust placed in Turkey by both sides. We hope that the meetings will lead to a lasting ceasefire and peace,” Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted, outlining his vision of where his country’s mediation should lead to in the faltering dialogue between Moscow and Kiev under an optimistic scenario..