The second round of Russia-Ukraine talks has started in Istanbul

The meeting of the delegations of Ukraine and Russia has started in Istanbul, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry reported.

The Ukrainian side is represented by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.

The Russian delegation is headed by Presidential Aide Vladimir Medinsky.

It was earlier reported that during the negotiations the parties will discuss their drafts of the memorandums on the ceasefire.

Turkey is acting as a mediator in the negotiations.

The Turkish delegation includes Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, the head of Turkey's intelligence service and the chief of the general staff, TASS reported.

In his opening remarks, Fidan said that Russia and Ukraine will discuss the terms of the ceasefire in the second round of negotiations, as well as the exchange of prisoners and civilians.

One of the topics, according to him, is a possible meeting of the heads of the two states.

According to Fidan, regular meetings between Russia and Ukraine are important for strengthening trust between the parties.