Russia will be represented at the negotiations with Ukraine by Lavrov and Ushakov

A senior former Kremlin official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject, said he would Russia to represent at the upcoming negotiations in Istanbul Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov and the adviser to the president for foreign policy, Yuriy Ushakov, published the newspaper "Washington Post".

These negotiations will be the first direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine since 2022, has launched Russian President Vladimir Putin.

They represent a response to increasingly strong demands from the West that Russia agree to a 30-day ceasefire, as a step towards a more lasting peace.

On the American side, Secretary of State Mark Rubio, as well as special envoys Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg, should participate in the negotiations, which, as the "Washington Post" writes, represents the first signal of progress after weeks of stalled negotiations, reports Tanjug.