Ankara - Saba:
A Turkish diplomatic source stated that Ankara is fully prepared to host negotiations between Russia and Ukraine on Monday in Istanbul.
The Russian news agency "Novosti" quoted the source as saying on Wednesday, "We are fully ready."
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced that the next round of direct negotiations between Moscow and Ukraine will take place on June 2 in Turkey, where Russia will present its memorandum to Ukraine.
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed that Ukraine resume direct negotiations without preconditions in Istanbul on May 15.
Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that the goal of the proposed negotiations with Ukraine is to address the root causes of the conflict and secure Russia's interests.
The Russian delegation arrived in Istanbul on May 15, but no contact was made between representatives of the two countries. The meeting was held the following day and lasted nearly two hours.
Vladimir Medinsky, aide to the Russian president and head of the Russian delegation, announced that Moscow and Kyiv had agreed to present their visions on the possibility of a future ceasefire.
Medinsky also expressed Russia's readiness to continue negotiations with Ukraine.
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