Ukraine-Russia to hold talks soon.

The second round of direct talks between Russia and Ukraine, the two warring countries, is likely to take place in Istanbul next week. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who is trying to mediate the talks, is visiting Ukraine to prepare for the talks.

NATO member Turkey is mediating to end the Russia-Ukraine war that has been going on for more than three years. Under pressure from US President Donald Trump, Turkey is trying to maintain relations with both Kiev and Moscow. Kiev has not yet decided whether to send a delegation to the talks that Russia has proposed to organize on Monday.

Ukraine is demanding that Russia publish a roadmap for peace before holding direct talks. It has been saying that otherwise the real justification for the talks will not be confirmed. Moscow, however, has said that it will only personally hand over the blueprint for ending the war to the Ukrainian delegation attending the talks.

‘As the talks begin, I see that this issue is starting to take a more optimistic turn, both sides want a ceasefire. "No one has said they don't want a ceasefire," Fidan was quoted as saying by the Anadolu news agency. Fidan also met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow earlier this week to prepare for the talks. After arriving in Kyiv on Friday, he met with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Szybiga and visited a memorial to soldiers killed in the war. Foreign Minister Fidan is also expected to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday.

Ukraine has been calling on Russia to agree to a full, unconditional 30-day ceasefire for more than two months. Despite pressure from Washington and Europe, Putin has repeatedly rejected such calls. While not rejecting talks, Russia has recently intensified its attacks on Ukraine.

Moscow has generally made demands from the beginning, including limiting Ukraine's military, barring it from joining NATO, granting it vast territorial concessions and ousting Zelensky. Two weeks ago, the first round of ‘face-to-face’ talks between Russia and Ukraine took place in Istanbul.

Turkey has also put forward a proposal to hold a direct meeting between Trump, Putin and Zelensky in the talks. After the first round of talks, Ukraine had demanded that direct talks between Putin and Zelensky be held in the next round. The Russian negotiating team also gave the ‘green signal’ to this. However, it has been rejecting the direct role of the US, saying that the talks should be between the two countries only. Moscow has not yet given an official opinion on the latest proposal by Turkey to include Trump as a mediator in the talks.

‘We see it possible to conclude the talks honestly between Trump, Putin and Zelensky under the leadership of President (Turkey) Recep Tayyip Erdogan,’ Foreign Minister Fidan said during a visit to Kiev. ‘We can either turn a blind eye to the continuation of this war or achieve a lasting peace, the expectations for a ceasefire and peace have increased. As long as we are at the negotiating table, progress can certainly be made.