ISTANBUL 

Turkish National Defense Minister Yasar Guler met Ukrainian Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov on Thursday.

The two met in the Turkish capital Ankara, the National Defense Ministry said on Turkish social media platform NSosyal.

In a statement on US social media company X, Umerov said they discussed issues of bilateral defense cooperation, as well as security guarantees for Ukraine, including maritime security.

Moscow and Kyiv held a third round of renewed peace talks on July 23 in Istanbul, where Ukraine proposed a meeting of the heads of state before the end of August, and the two sides reached a consensus on continuing to exchange prisoners of war.

The first two rounds on May 16 and June 2 had also taken place in Istanbul, reviving long-stalled peace negotiations since March 2022.