UPDATES WITH UKRAINIAN DELEGATION'S ARRIVAL; ADDS BACKGROUND; CHANGES HEADLINE, LEDE, DECK
By Iclal Turan and Handan Kazanci
ISTANBUL (AA) - Russian and Ukrainian negotiators arrived in Istanbul on Monday for a new round of peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv as the Russian war on Ukraine has continued for over a month.
A private plane carrying the Russian delegation landed at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport at around 4 p.m. local time (1300GMT) while the Ukrainian delegation arrived in Istanbul at around 10 p.m. local time (1900GMT).
The two-day peace talks, to be held at the presidential Dolmabahce office, are set to start at 10.30 a.m. local time (0730GMT) on Tuesday.
The talks will be closed to the press, according to the Turkish Foreign Ministry.
Several rounds of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine have been held in Belarus so far, with no concrete results achieved yet.
On March 10, Turkiye made headlines worldwide for hosting the Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers in the southern city of Antalya, the highest-level meeting of the two sides since the war began on Feb. 24.
Turkiye has won widespread praise for its efforts to end the war, helped by its unique position in having friendly relations with both Russia and Ukraine.
The Russia-Ukraine war has met international outrage with the EU, US, and UK, among others, implementing tough financial sanctions on Moscow.
At least 1,151 civilians have been killed in Ukraine and 1,842 injured, according to estimates by the UN, which cautioned that the true figure is likely far higher.
More than 3.87 million Ukrainians have also fled to several European countries, with millions more displaced inside the country, according to the UN refugee agency.