The first round was held in Istanbul on May 16. Pursuant to the agreements reached, each side has released 1,000 prisoners of war.

Lavrov noted that, as agreed, Russia will present a memorandum to the Ukrainian delegation that sets out its stance on all aspects of resolving the root causes of the conflict and the conditions for a ceasefire.

Vladimir Medinsky, Russian presidential aide and the head of Russia’s delegation, said his team is drafting the memorandum and will be ready to discuss each of the points. Russia has proposed specific dates and locations for the exchange of memoranda and expressed its desire to promptly initiate substantive negotiations.