(MENAFN) Russia on Thursday welcomed the humanitarian accords reached during the third round of renewed peace negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul, describing them as a “positive” development.

“The continuation of the exchange and return of civilian bodies … is an extremely important humanitarian aspect that, from our point of view, should be on the agenda. But still a positive aspect,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated during a press briefing.

While reiterating that Moscow had no illusions about achieving a major breakthrough, Peskov emphasized that the Russian side had put forward “constructive, specific and aimed specifically at substantive work that can lead to the achievement of specific results.”

Addressing the prospect of direct talks between President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Peskov cautioned that groundwork still needed to be laid before such a meeting could occur.

“They are trying to put the cart before the horse a little bit. First, all the work needs to be done, and then the heads (presidents) need to be given the opportunity to record the achievements that have been made,” he said.

He also dismissed any reports of discussions regarding a potential meeting between Putin and former U.S. President Donald Trump in China this September.

The third face-to-face round of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, brokered by Türkiye, concluded Wednesday night. Both parties agreed to a significant prisoner swap, involving at least 1,200 individuals from each side.

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