Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Saturday said that his country “positively” sees the possibility of resuming talks with Ukraine in Istanbul.
“We view the possibility of resuming negotiations in Istanbul positively,” Lavrov said in response to a question by Anadolu at the 5th Antalya Diplomacy Forum on the prospects for resuming peace talks in Istanbul and the efficiency of Ankara’s mediation role.
He said that the topic of resuming negotiations is currently not their "number one priority” and that the Russian side has never forced negotiations on anyone.
“We always assumed that if a partner is willing, we'd be ready. And this is despite the very poor track record of our Ukrainian colleagues with whom we negotiated," he further said.
He went on to recall previous negotiations with the Ukrainian side in Istanbul in April 2022, as well as three rounds of peace talks in the Turkish metropolis in mid-2025.
“We don't shy away from negotiations. When someone is ready, let them make a proposal. We'll see if the timing is right, the location is convenient, and what the agenda is,” Lavrov added.
Russia and Ukraine conducted three rounds of renewed peace talks last year in Istanbul — on May 16, June 2, and July 23 — which produced major prisoner swaps and draft memorandums outlining positions of both sides for a potential peace deal.
Under U.S. mediation, Moscow and Kiev also held three rounds of peace talks earlier this year on Jan 23-24, Feb 4-5, and Feb 17-18. The first two were in Abu Dhabi, while the third took place in Geneva.
Since then, negotiations have been paused with both Moscow and Kiev attributing the halt in Russia-Ukraine peace talks to the U.S.' focus on Iran.
