Medinsky said there would be a temporary ceasefire in certain areas of the front to collect the bodies
The head of the Russian delegation, Vladimir Medinsky, stated that during the meeting in Istanbul, Kyiv and Moscow agreed on a temporary ceasefire in certain areas of the front so that the bodies of the dead could be recovered.
Medinsky claims that the parties agreed to a ceasefire "for two or three days" on certain sections of the front so that commanders could collect the bodies of their soldiers.
A Russian official said that the Ukrainian military promised to work on such a proposal "in the near future."
LIGA.net reached out to the spokespersons of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the head of the Ukrainian delegation, Rustem Umerov, for comment. Ukraine had not previously reported such an agreement.
UPDATED. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia is proposing a ceasefire for two to three days to exchange bodies and prisoners of war, not for the sake of the peace process, but to delay US sanctions.
- The new Istanbul talks lasted a little over an hour, during which Ukraine and Russia agreed to hold a new exchange of prisoners and 6,000 bodies of those killed on both sides.
- At the same time, Moscow again refused an unconditional ceasefire despite Kyiv's proposals.
- Russia has also finally handed over to Ukraine the promised "memorandum" – a vision for ending the war. Kyiv provided Moscow with such a document in advance. The parties will review each other's memoranda for a week.
- Head of the OP Yermak reported that during the meeting in Istanbul, Ukraine handed over to Russia a list of illegally deported Ukrainian children who need to be returned. The head of the Russian delegation has already managed to "distinguish" himself with a cynical statement on this matter.
