Second round of peace talks between Russia, Ukraine to begin in Istanbul today –

The second round of peace talks between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations is set to begin at Istanbul’s historic Ciragan Palace today. The Russian delegation is led by Presidential Aide Vladimir Medinsky and includes Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, while the Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov is leading the delegation of his country. Moderated by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, the meeting will reportedly also be attended by the Turkish National Intelligence Organisation Director Ibrahim Kalin. However, it remains unclear whether this meeting will be a bilateral meeting with Istanbul merely mediating, or a trilateral forum. A few days back, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova had stated that Turkey or any other party would not be mediating the negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. Following the previous talks last month, there may likely be a shift in the dynamics of engagement between Moscow and Kyiv, following Ukraine’s sudden bombing of five Russian airbases just two days before the scheduled peace talks.