Russia expects 3rd round of talks with Ukraine soon: Kremlin

Moscow, July 3 (IANS) The Kremlin expects the dates for a third round of Russia-Ukraine talks to be finalised "in the near future," Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

"We expect that it will be agreed upon soon," Peskov said on Wednesday, reiterating Moscow's stance that the scheduling of talks requires mutual consent.

He noted that no specific date has been set and emphasised that the negotiation framework is inherently collaborative.

"This is a mutual process," he said.

The first round was held on May 16 in Istanbul and the second on June 2, also in Turkey.

At the last meeting, Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov proposed that the third meeting take place during the last week of June.

In the first round, the exchange of prisoners was agreed, while in the second round, the return of 6,000 bodies of Ukrainian soldiers and the exchange of sick prisoners and those under the age of 25 were agreed.

However, despite the agreements of June 2, Moscow media reported that the Kremlin had proposed two truces, demanding the withdrawal of the Ukrainian army from four regions that Russia considers its own (Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia) and Ukrainian presidential elections within 100 days.

For his part, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for new sanctions because he sees no intention of peace in these demands.

The conditions for an end to the armed conflict on the part of Russia have been repeatedly rejected by the Ukrainian leader because he sees them as a demand for surrender.

Zelensky's Chief of Staff, Andriy Yemark, stressed that "the Russians are doing everything possible to prevent a ceasefire and continue the war. It is essential to impose new sanctions now".

In Istanbul, both countries wrote memoranda that Russian President Vladimir Putin described during the Eurasian Economic Union summit as completely opposed: "The memoranda, as expected, are diametrically opposed. But negotiations are taking place to find points of convergence. There is nothing surprising about them being different."

According to the Kremlin spokesman, the speed of the next negotiation process depends on the Kyiv regime and the mediating efforts of the US.

He added that "there is a real reality on the ground that cannot be ignored and must be taken into account".

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov commented that the solution to the war in Ukraine is to eliminate the root cause of the conflict, adding that Russia is willing to stop the fighting.

The Russian President recalled that in the next round of negotiations, which will take place after the agreed exchanges have been completed, according to him, the memoranda must be addressed.

For him, "the humanitarian component is important, as it creates the conditions for, as diplomats say, a thorough discussion of the essence of the problem."

On the other hand, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan assured that he is in contact with US President Donald Trump and that both are willing to attend the negotiations.

He told the Turkish news agency Anadolu of his commitment to do everything possible to make this happen as soon as possible.

--IANS

int/khz