"The memorandums of the Russian Federation and Ukraine contradict each other, but this is not surprising," said Russian President Vladimir Putin, APA’s Moscow correspondent reports.
Putin emphasized the importance of a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine, stating that it creates conditions for a substantive discussion of the core issues between Moscow and Kyiv.
According to Putin, Russia is ready for a third round of talks with Ukraine: "The Russian Federation is prepared to hand over the bodies of another 3,000 Ukrainian soldiers to Kyiv. After the exchanges are completed, contacts between the Russian Federation and Ukraine will continue."
He added that Russia is ready to hold the next round of talks with Kyiv in Istanbul and expressed gratitude to President Erdoğan for his assistance.
Putin stated that the draft memorandum on a settlement between Russia and Ukraine should be a subject of discussion during the third round of talks.
He also emphasized that representatives from Russia and Ukraine remain in direct contact.
