Overview

• Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said there has been complete silence in response to Moscow’s proposals to revamp the Istanbul negotiation format.
• Russia’s plan calls for raising the rank of delegation leaders and creating three working groups covering humanitarian, military, and political tracks.
• Lavrov said Ukrainian representatives had complained that their negotiators lacked sufficient mandate and were confined to humanitarian matters such as prisoner exchanges, the return of bodies, and child-related issues.
• Lavrov added that the idea of elevating negotiators was discussed at the Alaska talks and that U.S. President Donald Trump reacted positively, with no further follow-up reported.
• Moscow presents the initiative as a goodwill step to improve the process and says it is awaiting a formal response from Kyiv.