Ukrainian negotiators in talks with Russia, on Tuesday in Istanbul, have asked the Russian side to organize a meeting between the presidents of the two countries, the BBC reports.
They said there was enough material in Ukraine's current proposals to warrant a meeting between Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin, adding that they were awaiting Russia's response to that.
Among the proposals at Tuesday's meeting in Istanbul was the status quo for a period of 15 years for Crimea, which was annexed in 2014.
Meanwhile, the Russian side has demanded Ukraine's military neutrality, which means its non-membership in NATO and also the non-existence of foreign military bases on its territory.
After the Istanbul meeting, the Russian Ministry of Defense has announced that it will drastically reduce its activities in two cities, Kiev and Chernihiv.
The talks in Istanbul were held with the mediation of the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who at the beginning of the meeting asked the parties for concrete results, declaring that peace does not make anyone a loser.
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Ukrainian delegation meets with Erdogan ahead of talks with Russia