China launched the Shenzhou-20 crewed spaceship on Thursday, sending three astronauts to its orbiting space station for a six-month mission.
The spaceship, atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket, blasted off at 17:17 (Beijing Time) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, said the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).
About 10 minutes after the launch, the Shenzhou-20 spaceship separated from the rocket and entered its designated orbit. The crew members, consisting of mission commander Chen Dong and crew members Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie, are in good shape and the launch is a complete success, the CMSA announced.
The spaceship will then perform a fast, automated rendezvous and a docking with the radial port of the space station core module Tianhe in about 6.5 hours, forming a combination of three modules and three spacecraft.
Shenzhou-20 is the 35th flight mission of China's manned space program, and the fifth crewed mission during the application and development stage of China's space station.
The crew is scheduled to return to the Dongfeng landing site in north China in late October this year.
China launches Shenzhou-20 manned spaceship
China launches Shenzhou-20 manned spaceship
The Russia-Ukraine peace talks are expected to be held in Istanbul, Türkiye, as the Russian delegation has expressed readiness to participate, while the Ukrainian side has not yet issued a statement regarding the timing of the negotiations.
The Russian delegation arrived in Istanbul on Thursday to prepare for the negotiations. Vladimir Medinsky, head of the Russian delegation and senior aide to President Vladimir Putin, said on Thursday night that starting 10:00 on Friday, the Russian delegation will be waiting for the Ukrainian side, that should arrive for the meeting to begin the talks.
Medinsky said that his team has the necessary competencies to conduct negotiations and will focus on "finding possible solutions" and common ground through a constructive approach.
Speaking outside the Russian consulate in Istanbul, Medinsky said that Russia views the fresh negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul as a "continuation" of the peace process disrupted in 2022, claiming that his team's objective is to secure a lasting peace by "addressing the underlying causes of the conflict."
Medinsky said he had met with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Thursday to present their position ahead of the talks.
Also on Thursday, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russian President Vladimir Putin has no plans to visit Istanbul in the near future.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday that a Ukrainian delegation would attend the peace talks in Istanbul, though he would not personally show up at the negotiating table.
Zelensky has concluded his visit to Türkiye and left for the Albanian capital.
The delegation will be led by Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, alongside professionals, including military and intelligence officers, Zelensky said, adding that Ukraine is awaiting confirmation from both the U.S. government and the Russian side on the exact schedule for the talks, which are expected to take place either Thursday or Friday.
On top of that, Zelensky stressed that he is ready for discussions if an unconditional ceasefire will be discussed at the level of leaders.
Speaking to reporters separately after a NATO foreign ministers' meeting in Türkiye's Antalya, Fidan said that both Russia and Ukraine have, in principle, expressed their willingness for a ceasefire. However, each has its own considerations: Ukraine favors an immediate, unconditional ceasefire, while Russia maintains that certain modalities must first be understood and agreed upon.
Fidan said the Ukraine-Russia negotiations have now reached a certain stage, urging both parties to make concessions and take steps towards establishing a common peace.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who also attended the NATO meeting, said they support a negotiated settlement. "We will see what happens over the next couple of days in that regard, but we want to see progress," he said.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Paris is pushing for an "urgent" and "unconditional" ceasefire.
According to a TASS report, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto expressed the hope for the success of the upcoming talks on resolving the Ukrainian conflict, urging the European Union not to undermine the negotiations.
The Istanbul talks follow a proposal by Putin on Sunday to resume direct negotiations with Ukraine. Zelensky has previously said he is open to a face-to-face meeting with Putin.
The last direct talks between Ukraine and Russia took place in Istanbul in March 2022, where the two sides failed to agree to halt the fighting.
Russia-Ukraine peace talks to be held in Istanbul amid lingering differences
