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09:42 GMT 23.07.2025 (Updated: 09:47 GMT 23.07.2025)
The next round of direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine is expected to start in Istanbul on Wednesday evening. This will be the third meeting since the talks resumed in May, following a hiatus of more than three years.
The topics include issues related to the draft memoranda on the settlement and the continuation of mutual exchanges.
The discussions will be complex, as the draft memoranda on the settlement are diametrically opposed.
All work on agreeing the draft memoranda between Russia and Ukraine is preparation for a potential meeting between Putin and Zelensky.
It is impractical to schedule a possible meeting between Putin and Zelensky without significant preparatory work.
It is clear that a significant portion of the Western funds received by Kiev has been embezzled; there is a lot of corruption in Ukraine.
