A senior Russian official has said the Turkish metropolis of Istanbul is becoming the “main platform” for negotiations between Moscow and Kiev, where the two countries held their first direct talks in three years earlier this month.

“The Istanbul platform is becoming the main platform for conducting negotiations in all areas concerning the Black Sea, the Black Sea deal, the grain deal, and now the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations,” Secretary of the Russian Security Council Sergey Shoygu said during a meeting with Türkiye’s National Security Council Secretary General Okay Memis on Thursday, according to the state news agency Tass.

The report further said that Shoygu thanked Türkiye’s leadership for providing the platform for holding direct talks between Russia and Ukraine.

“We know that Ankara has made considerable efforts, including in terms of ensuring security, to create optimal conditions for the work of delegations,” Shoygu was further quoted as saying.

On May 16, Russia and Ukraine held their first direct talks in three years in Istanbul, where the two sides notably agreed to a large-scale exchange of prisoners involving a total of 1,000 people from each side.​​​​​​​

Both sides, during the talks facilitated by Türkiye, also agreed to continue negotiations for a truce.