Turkey allowed for a series of meetings between Russian and Ukrainian delegations

Delegations from Russia and Ukraine may hold a series of additional meetings following their negotiations in Istanbul on May 15.

This possibility was raised by İbrahim Halil Korkmaz, Deputy Head of the Foreign Relations Department of Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

He suggested that the parties may reach certain agreements, which would require further negotiations down the line.

“One cannot rule it out — everything will depend on the outcome of the first meeting,” Korkmaz said.

Earlier, the Turkish official expressed optimism that the talks in Turkey could lead to a successful outcome. He emphasized that Ankara is doing everything possible to help bring the conflict in Ukraine to an end.

Russian President Vladimir Putin had previously proposed initiating direct negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul on May 15, without any preconditions.