MOSCOW, July 18. /TASS/. Vladimir Zelensky has tasked Ukraine’s new National Security and Defense Council Secretary, Rustem Umerov, with stepping up negotiations with Russia in Istanbul.

"Today we discussed with Rustem Umerov the work of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine and the Supreme Commander’s Staff, as well as personal responsibilities in defense and negotiations. The negotiation track must be intensified. The implementation of the agreements reached at the second meeting in Istanbul is underway. We need more dynamics in this process," Zelensky wrote on his Telegram channel.

A day earlier, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Moscow’s delegation is prepared to travel to Istanbul for a third round of talks with the Ukrainian side. However, she noted that Kiev has yet to show any sign of readiness to resume negotiations. Zakharova voiced hope that Ukraine would honor the spirit of earlier agreements and remain engaged in the dialogue.

During the two earlier rounds of talks in Istanbul on May 16 and June 2, Russia and Ukraine agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners each. Both sides also committed to returning severely ill and young captives under 25 years old in an "all for all" format.

In continuation of the Istanbul agreements, Moscow handed over the bodies of 6,060 deceased Ukrainian soldiers in June, receiving 78 Russian bodies in return. On July 17, another 1,000 Ukrainian bodies were transferred, with Russia receiving 19 of its own.