What to Anticipate in the Third Round of Peace Talks Between Russia and Ukraine

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Ukraine is demanding the return of prisoners of war and “children taken by Russia,” while the Kremlin insists it will “pursue our interests” as the two countries prepare for peace negotiations on Wednesday.

Earlier ceasefire discussions have resulted in the exchange of numerous prisoners of war and the remains of deceased soldiers.

The push to end the conflict has intensified once more.

What do we know about the ceasefire talks?

The latest ceasefire talks between Russia and Ukraine are set to occur in Istanbul, at the same site where previous negotiations in May and June did not achieve a ceasefire, according to Agence France-Presse.

The Istanbul talks could focus on further prisoner exchanges and a possible meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin, a senior Ukrainian official told AFP.

Russia, however, has signalled that a meaningful breakthrough isn’t expected anytime soon.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters earlier this week the two sides have “diametrically opposed” positions on how to end the war in Ukraine.

One of the main sticking points at previous meetings has been over territory, as Russia has seized swathes of Ukrainian land since its invasion began three years ago.

Ukraine continues to seek the return of the occupied territories, but Russia has shown no intent to retreat.

“There is no reason to expect any breakthroughs in the category of miracles — it is hardly possible in the current situation,” Peskov said.

“We intend to pursue our interests, we intend to ensure our interests and fulfil the tasks that we set for ourselves from the very beginning.”

Asked if he could provide a sense of how the Kremlin viewed the potential timeframe for a possible peace agreement, Peskov said he could offer no guidance on timing.

“There is a lot of work to be done before we can talk about the possibility of some top-level meetings,” he said.

Zelenskyy outlined what he is seeking in the negotiations.

“Our agenda is straightforward: return prisoners of war, return children abducted by Russia, and arrange for a meeting between the leaders,” he stated.

What happened last time?

At the time, Russia told Ukraine it would only agree to end the war if Ukraine gave up big new chunks of territory and accepted limits on the size of its army, according to a memorandum reported by Russian media.

The Russian memorandum, which was published by the Interfax news agency, said a settlement of the war would require international recognition of Crimea — a peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014 — and four other regions of Ukraine that Russia has claimed as its own territory. Ukraine would have to withdraw its forces from all of them.

Peskov suggested Russia still holds this view.

“There is our draft memorandum; there is a draft memorandum that has been handed over by the Ukrainian side. There is to be an exchange of views and talks on these two drafts, which are diametrically opposed so far,” he said.

Ukraine has repeatedly rejected the Russian conditions as tantamount to surrender.

— Additional reporting by the Reuters news agency