KYIV: Ukraine is ready to resume direct peace talks with Russia in Istanbul on Monday, a top adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky said, following days of uncertainty over whether Kyiv would attend a meeting proposed by Moscow.

But Ukrainian officials have insisted that the Kremlin provide a promised memorandum setting out its position on ending the more than three-year war, before the two delegations sit down to negotiate.

“Ukraine is ready to attend the next meeting, but we want to engage in a constructive discussion,” Andrii Yermak said in a statement on the website of Ukraine’s Presidential Office late Thursday.

“This means it is important to receive Russia’s draft. There is enough time – four days are sufficient for preparing and sending the documents,” Yermak said.

Ukraine and its European allies have repeatedly accused the Kremlin of dragging its feet in peace efforts, while it tries to press its bigger army’s battlefield initiative and capture more Ukrainian land.

Kyiv’s Western partners, including the US, are urging Moscow to agree to an unconditional ceasefire, something Kyiv has embraced while the Kremlin has held out for terms more to its liking.

Ukraine’s top diplomat, Andrii Sybiha, also told reporters on Friday that Kyiv is waiting for Russia to clarify its proposals ahead of a next round of talks.

“We want to end this war this year. We are interested in establishing a ceasefire, whether it is for 30 days, 50 days, or 100 days. Ukraine is open to discussing this directly with Russia,” Sybiha said at a joint news conference in Kyiv with his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan.

Sybiha and Fidan also held the door open to a future meeting between Presidents Zelensky and Vladimir Putin of Russia, possibly also including US President Donald Trump. Fidan said the ongoing peace push in Istanbul could be “crowned with” such a meeting.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Friday told reporters that a Russian delegation will head to Istanbul and stand ready to take part in the second round of talks on June 2.

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday publicly invited Ukraine to hold direct negotiations with Moscow on that date. In a video statement, Lavrov said Russia would use Monday’s meeting to deliver an outline of Moscow’s position on “reliably overcoming” what it calls the root causes of the war. Russian officials have said for weeks that such a document is forthcoming.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov on Wednesday said that Ukraine isn’t opposed to further direct talks with Russia, but that they would be “empty” if Moscow were to fail to clarify its terms. Umerov said he had personally handed a document setting out Ukraine’s position to the Russian side.

Low-level delegations from Russia and Ukraine held their first direct peace talks in three years in Istanbul on May 16. The talks, which lasted two hours, brought no significant breakthrough, although both sides agreed to the largest prisoner exchange of the war. It was carried out last weekend and freed 1,000 captives on each side.

Fidan on Friday voiced a belief that the successful swap has “proved that negotiations can yield concrete results.”

“There are two paths in front of us. Either we will turn a blind eye to the continuation of the war, or we will reach a lasting peace within the end of the year,” he told reporters in Kyiv.

NEW DELHI: For as long as he can remember, the wooden toys of Channapatna have been a part of Suhel Parvez’s life. 

As family members carefully tended the centuries-old art of toy making, Parvez grew up watching unique colors and intricate designs come to life. 

“I have been brought up seeing these, because in our home (in) every place they worked on this,” Parvez told Arab News. 

Today, the 35-year-old is one of a few thousand local artisans working to keep the craft alive. 

“I am the fifth-generation artisan, and we are continuing the legacy of our ancestors who started this,” he said.

In the southern Indian state of Karnataka, thanks to a traditional form of toy-making that can be traced back to the 18th century, Channapatna is popularly known as the “toy town,” or “gombegala ooru.” According to local artisans, the craft started in the region after Tipu Sultan, the Muslim ruler of the kingdom of Mysore, asked artists from Persia to train the locals. 

From dolls to spinning tops, Channapatna’s toys are carved from local ivory wood and dipped in bright colors made from natural ingredients, such as turmeric and indigo. While they were once all hand-carved, artisans have since begun to use some machines to keep the industry competitive. 

In India, the craft is protected as a geographical indication, or GI, which is a form of intellectual property under the World Trade Organization. 

The toys — popular for their long-lasting quality — have also made international headlines throughout the years. In 2010 they experienced a boom after former US First Lady Michelle Obama bought some during one of her visits to New Delhi. 

In 2025, as wooden toys regain popularity across the world due to their eco-friendly qualities, craftsmen like Parvez are seeing new opportunities opening up. 

“Many countries are boycotting plastic material, and for child safety people are moving slowly towards wooden toys. We have good opportunities in coming years,” Parvez said. 

His Bharath Arts and Crafts unit produces traditional toys the region is known for, and also more modern versions of those often used for educational purposes. 

“We don’t involve any chemical process in that … right from sourcing tools (to the) end, final product, this will be a 100 percent chemical-free process,” he added, referring to the Channapatna toys. 

“Apart from that we have one more (type) known as modern toys or educational toys which are made out of synthetic colors which are non-toxic.”

While Parvez and his fellow craftsmen have exported their products to the US, UK and Australia, he says the Middle East and Africa are emerging markets for the wooden toys of southern India.

“We have very good markets (in the) Middle East and African countries — these are the emerging opportunities for us,” he said. 

These days, Channapatna’s toy making industry mostly comprises seasoned artisans, those who have been in the field for decades, according to local craftsman Srinivasa Kariappa. 

“Those who are working in the industry have at least 15 or 20 years of experience, new people are not joining,” he told Arab News. 

The 37-year-old, who runs Harsha Industries, believes that there is still time to welcome new people to preserve the tradition. 

“Handwork is important in Channapatna toys,” he said. “The government should open a training center where a new set of people can come and join the toy industry. We need new families and people to join the industry and expand (it).”