Russia and Ukraine Reveal Their Delegation Composition for the Third Round of Istanbul Negotiations

SadaNews - Both the Russian and Ukrainian sides have revealed the composition of their delegations for the upcoming third round of negotiations in Istanbul aimed at settlement.

Information indicates that Russia has maintained the composition of its delegation, which will include the same members who participated in the previous round of negotiations in May. In contrast, Vladimir Zelensky has issued a decree to increase the members of his delegation from 12 to 14, replacing some figures with others.

The Russian delegation is headed by Vladimir Medinsky, Deputy to the President of Russia.

Medinsky served as the Minister of Culture of Russia (2012–2020) and led the Russian delegation in the 2022 negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul. Medinsky has extensive diplomatic experience and is a familiar face in Russian-Ukrainian dialogues.

The Russian delegation also includes Mikhail Galuzin, Deputy Foreign Minister supervising Russia's relations with the Commonwealth of Independent States and Ukraine.

Galuzin has served as Russia's ambassador to Indonesia and Japan before his current appointment, and his role is expected to focus on political and legal aspects.

The head of military intelligence, Igor Kostyukov, who was awarded the "Hero of Russia" medal in 2017 for his efforts in Syria.

Kostyukov led key intelligence operations, including coordination with Syrian forces, and his role in the negotiations indicates that Russia is approaching the talks from a security and intelligence perspective, not just politically.

Also participating in the Russian delegation is Alexander Fomin, Deputy Minister of Defense, who is a member of the export control committee and the Russian military-industrial committee.

Fomin played a pivotal role in the 2022 Istanbul negotiations, where he announced a reduction in Russian military activity near Kyiv and Chernihiv as a goodwill gesture from Russia.

His role is expected to encompass military and security aspects, prisoner exchanges, and ceasefire agreements.

The Russian delegation also comprises four experts from the ministries of foreign affairs and defense, as well as military intelligence.

The Ukrainian Delegation

The Kyiv delegation includes Yuri Kolbasa, head of the Human Rights Commission in the Security and Defense Sector, and Evgeny Ostriansky, Deputy Chief of Staff.

Andrey Fomin, Deputy Head of the International Law Department at the Ukrainian General Staff, will replace the head of the department, Alexei Malovitsky.

The Russian and Ukrainian sides have conducted two rounds of negotiations in Istanbul over the past May and June, resulting in a prisoner exchange, the handover of the bodies of 6,000 Ukrainian soldiers from Russia to the Kyiv regime, and the exchange of draft settlement memoranda.

Source: Agencies