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Zelensky orders to form delegation for talks with Russia

Rustem Umerov will lead the delegation

MOSCOW, July 22. /TASS/. Vladimir Zelensky has given orders to form a delegation for negotiations with Russia which will be led once again by Rustem Umerov.

"I have ordered to form a delegation for talks with the Russian side. Rustem Umerov will lead the delegation," he wrote on his Telegram channel.

Previous delegations were also led by Umerov who was the country’s defense minister at the time. However, on July 16, he lost that office as Zelensky dismissed the entire cabinet. On July 18, Zelensky appointed Umerov secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council.

According to Zelensky, the delegation will also include representatives from his office, Ukrainian intelligence and the Foreign Ministry. Ahead of the new round of negotiations, Zelensky held a meeting with Umerov and Andrey Yermak, the head of his office. Umerov reported on "fulfilling the agreements of the second meeting with the Russian side in Istanbul and on the agreement on a new meeting in the near future."

On Monday, Zelensky said that the next meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations is slated for July 23 in Turkey. A TASS source reported that the third round of talks will be held on July 24.

Following the two rounds of talks in Istanbul, Russia and Ukraine agreed on exchanging prisoners on the "1,000 for 1,000" formula as well as on returning severely injured and young servicemen (under 25) in an "all for all" format, with no less than 1,000 people from each side.

Earlier, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that after all the exchange procedures that were agreed upon in Istanbul are completed, "the time will come to determine the dates for the third round.".