(MENAFN) The third round of peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine has concluded in Istanbul, with delegations meeting at the Ciragan Palace on the European side of the Bosporus. This follows two previous rounds of direct talks held earlier in the year.

The discussions have mainly centered on humanitarian concerns such as prisoner exchanges and returning the remains of fallen soldiers. Both sides have also exchanged draft memorandums outlining their perspectives on a potential peace agreement.

The Russian delegation was led by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, who also headed the earlier talks. Ukraine’s team remained largely the same, led by Rustem Umerov, the former Defense Minister who recently became head of Ukraine’s Security Council following a government reshuffle.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that this round focused on the draft memorandums exchanged during the previous talks and the continuation of prisoner swap discussions. He warned that no easy resolutions are expected, describing the conversations as difficult due to the sharply opposing positions of the two sides.

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