Medinsky announced that the Russian Federation is taking two steps to de-escalate the conflict in Ukraine: head of the Russian delegation, Vladimir Medinsky

Moscow: The Russian side has announced its intention to take two steps to de-escalate the situation in Ukraine, head of the Russian delegation Vladimir Medinsky told reporters on Tuesday after talks with the Ukrainian side in Istanbul.

"We are also taking two steps to de-escalate the conflict," Medinsky said.

According to him, one of the steps concerns the military aspect, and the second - the political one. "One of the positions - on the military side - will be announced by the deputy defense minister, and on the political side, I will," the head of the delegation added.

The talks held in Istanbul were constructive, Medinsky also said. He noted that the Russian side received from Ukraine for consideration "their clearly formulated position for inclusion in the agreement."

"These proposals will be considered in the near future, reported to the President, and our corresponding response will be given," the head of the delegation emphasized.

Medinsky also said that a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky is possible simultaneously with the initialing of the peace treaty.

"After today's meaningful conversation, we have agreed and are proposing a solution according to which the meeting of the heads of state is possible simultaneously with the initialing of the treaty," he said.

The head of the Russian delegation also noted that from the very beginning the possibility of a meeting of the presidents was discussed, provided that the agreement was ready for signing by the heads of state.

"The proposed format was as follows: first, an agreement is prepared, then the agreement is approved by the negotiators, endorsed by the foreign ministers at the meeting, after which the possibility of a meeting of heads of state to sign this agreement is discussed," Medinsky specified.

According to him, "this is not an easy issue, especially since a multilateral meeting is possible with the participation of states-guarantors of peace and security in Ukraine."

Medinsky stressed that the version proposed on Tuesday of the meeting of the presidents simultaneously with the initialing of the treaty by the foreign ministers of the Russian Federation and Ukraine provides additional opportunities for discussing political nuances.

"Thus, under the condition of quick work on the treaty and finding the required compromise, the possibility of making peace will become much closer," Medinsky said.