Hey there! Have you heard the news? Russia and Ukraine are planning to meet for peace talks in Istanbul, a big city in Türkiye (that's how Turkey is spelled in Turkish!) 🇹🇷. This is a hopeful step toward ending the conflict between the two countries.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Thursday that Ukraine will send a team to the talks. Even though he won't be there in person, he wants to find a way to stop the fighting and bring peace back to his country. Ukraine's team will be led by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, along with other experts.
Zelenskyy is a bit unsure about Russia's intentions. He mentioned that he doesn't see any top decision-makers in Russia's team. But still, Ukraine is ready to talk, especially if it means discussing an immediate ceasefire. A ceasefire is when both sides agree to stop fighting. Sounds good, right?
On the other side, Vladimir Medinsky, the head of the Russian delegation, said that his team is ready to find solutions. He called the talks a "continuation" of the peace process that got interrupted last year. Russia says they want to address the main reasons behind the conflict to make lasting peace.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan is also involved. He said both Russia and Ukraine want a ceasefire, but they have different ideas about how it should happen. Ukraine wants it to happen right away, without any conditions. Russia thinks some details need to be agreed upon first.
The United States is supporting the talks too. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said they hope to see progress in the next few days. Everyone seems to want peace!
These talks are important because the last time Russia and Ukraine met for peace talks in Istanbul was back in March 2022, but they couldn't agree to stop the fighting then. Let's hope this time they can find common ground and bring peace to the region.
What do you think? Do you believe these talks will help end the conflict? Let's keep our fingers crossed! 🤞
Reference(s):
Russia-Ukraine peace talks to be held in Istanbul amid differences
cgtn.com
