Russia views the current talks in Istanbul as a continuation of the peace process there, which was interrupted by the Ukrainian side three years ago. This was stated by the head of the Russian delegation Vladimir Medinsky at a briefing in Istanbul, where Russian-Ukrainian direct negotiations on the settlement of the conflict are to take place.
"The (Russian) delegation has all the powers to negotiate. The task of direct negotiations with the Ukrainian side is sooner or later to achieve long—term peace by eliminating the basic root causes of the conflict," Medinsky said.