Talks

Rome has become ‘the capital of peace and dialogue’ Italian Foreign Minister Tajani claimed. The talks were mediated by Oman.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urged officials “not to tie the country’s affairs” to the talks, which are set to resume for a second round on Saturday.

Iran’s foreign ministry now insists negotiations will take place again in Oman, contradicting earlier reports from Italy, the Netherlands and Iraq.

The speculation on the next location comes as Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani separately told journalists in Japan that the Italian government has given its go-ahead to host the talks.

The talks come a day before US officials are set to meet with Russia’s delegation.

The White House confirmed Trump had dispatched an envoy for unprecedented direct talks with Hamas over the remaining hostages held in the Gaza Strip.

US and Russian diplomats meet in Istanbul to discuss embassy operations, with Ukraine off the agenda. This is a second round following talks in Saudi Arabia that signalled a shift in US policy under Trump.

The first round of negotiations in Riyadh on Tuesday prompted European allies to rally around Volodymyr Zelenskyy, nervous about Trump’s perceived pivot to Moscow and fears that talks would take place without Ukraine’s direct involvement and favour Russia.

The French weekly news magazine Le Point, citing anonymous sources, reported that Trump may attend a parade in the Russian capital to mark the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War.

Ukraine and Europe worry about being sidelined as Trump remains persistent to go ahead with direct talks with Russia to discuss an end to the war in Ukraine.