The team remains composed of four core members and four experts. As in the previous round, the group is headed by presidential adviser Vladimir Medinsky and includes Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin, and Chief of the General Staff Directorate Igor Kostyukov.

The third round of talks between Russia and Ukraine is expected to take place this Wednesday afternoon in Istanbul, Turkiye, although Moscow has not yet officially confirmed the date.

Russia and Ukraine resumed direct talks in Turkiye on May 16, for the first time in more than three years.

At the first meeting, both sides agreed to a massive prisoner exchange on a thousand-for-thousand basis, which was completed in three successive exchanges from May 23 to 25.

On June 2, the two countries held the second round of negotiations, exchanging their terms of reference for a ceasefire with a view to a sustainable peace agreement.

Russia also announced its intention to hand over the bodies of 6,060 dead soldiers to Ukraine by June 16.

On June 27, Russian President Vladimir Putin reaffirmed that Moscow is ready to hold a third round of direct talks with Kiev.

He also said that Russia is willing to hand over nearly 3,000 more bodies of fallen soldiers to Ukraine.

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