Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov (Photo: IRNA/VNA)

Addressing Russian state media on the outcomes of the first direct Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Turkey last Friday, Peskov did not specify what agreements Russia hopes to achieve. Instead, he emphasized that the key issue for Moscow remains the question of who in the Ukrainian government is authorized to sign any agreements, once the negotiators reach a consensus on the content.

Earlier, Ukraine said that it had proposed a meeting between President Zelensky and President Putin during negotiations in Istanbul, and the Russian delegation indicated it would consider the proposal.

According to Ukraine’s statement following the talks, the two sides agreed on a 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner-of-war exchange, while Kyiv primarily focused discussions on a ceasefire.

Moscow and Kyiv also outlined their respective positions on an immediate ceasefire agreement and announced that the next round of negotiations would take place once the agreed-upon terms had been implemented.

During Saturday’s phone call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to discuss their viewpoints on the recent Istanbul peace talks, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio welcomed the agreements reached by Russia and Ukraine, adding that Washington is ready to facilitate the two countries to look for more solutions to resolve the conflict.

Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said Russia is ready to work with the US in the current situations.

The two Foreign Ministers also discussed the need to further keep contacts between Russia and the US in the time to come.