Istanbul: The Russian delegation to participate in the Istanbul peace negotiations with Ukraine arrived in Istanbul on Thursday morning. Turkish diplomatic sources reported that the negotiations between the Russian and Ukrainian sides are scheduled to begin later today at Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, a statement issued by the Russian Presidency (the Kremlin) noted that Vladimir Medinsky, advisor to Russian President Vladimir Putin, will head the delegation to the peace negotiations with Ukraine. The delegation also includes Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin, and Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces Igor Kostyukov.

The list of experts participating in the delegation includes Alexander Zorin, Deputy Head of the Information Department of the General Staff, and Yevgenia Podbrevskaya, Deputy Head of the Humanitarian Policy Department of the Russian Presidential Office. The list also includes Alexander Poleshchyuk, Director of the Second Directorate for the Commonwealth of Independent States at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Vladimir Shevtsov, Deputy Head of the Main Directorate for International Military Cooperation at the Ministry of Defense.

On the 11th of this month, the Russian President proposed resuming direct negotiations with Ukraine without preconditions in Istanbul, after a three-year hiatus. He asked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to host the new round. Erdogan affirmed Turkey’s readiness to host the negotiations to achieve a just and lasting peace, while the Ukrainian government welcomed the move. The international community’s attention is now focused on the meetings hosted by Istanbul.