Russian President Vladimir Putin said on 27 June that Moscow is prepared to take part in a third round of direct negotiations with Ukraine, proposing Istanbul as the venue and thanking Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for hosting earlier sessions. Putin told reporters in Minsk that the heads of the Russian and Ukrainian delegations are "in constant contact" and will fix the date after the completion of prisoner exchanges agreed on 2 June. He acknowledged that the sides’ draft peace memoranda remain "absolutely opposite" but argued that the gap makes continued dialogue essential. As part of the humanitarian measures tied to the talks, Putin announced that Russia is ready to return the remains of a further 3,000 Ukrainian soldiers, adding to roughly 6,000 already transferred under previous agreements.