Russian delegation arrives in Istanbul for peace talks with Ukraine

The Russian delegation arrived in Istanbul on Sunday ahead of peace talks with the Ukrainian side scheduled for June 2.

Talks between the delegations are expected to be held at Ciragan Palace at 1 pm local time (1000GMT), said sources with the Turkish Foreign Ministry.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said earlier Sunday that Defense Minister Rustem Umerov will be leading his country's delegation in the planned second round of direct negotiations with Russia.

Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said they had proposed holding the next round of direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on June 2 and that Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to President Vladimir Putin, would head the delegation.

On May 16, Russia and Ukraine held their first direct talks in three years in Istanbul, with the two sides notably agreeing to a large-scale exchange of prisoners involving a total of 1,000 from each side.​​​​​​​