A Ukrainian delegation arrived in Istanbul, Turkey for peace talks with their Russian counterparts on Tuesday morning. The delegation, led by defence minister, Oleksii Reznikov, as well as the head of the president's office, Mikhail Podolyak, said their top priority was to secure a ceasefire, although there is scepticism about whether this is likely.
The face-to-face talks, the first in more than two weeks will be hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and are scheduled to begin at 10:00 local time (07:00 GMT) on Tuesday.
Ahead of the Istanbul talks, President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country is prepared to declare its neutrality, as Moscow has demanded. They are also open to compromise on the fate of the Donbas, the contested region in the country’s east.
