Russia proposes Ukraine to hold second round of negotiations in Istanbul on June 2

Russian propaganda outlet RIA Novosti reported the information.

Lavrov stated that Russia has completed work on the memorandum and is prepared to present it at the talks. The Russian delegation will be led by Vladimir Medinsky, Vladimir Putin’s aide, who also headed the delegation during the first round of negotiations.

Medinsky's conversation with Ukraine’s Umerov

On May 28, Vladimir Medinsky said that during a conversation with Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, he proposed a place and date for exchanging memoranda.
“Right there, on the spot, we are ready to begin a substantive discussion of each point of the package agreement on the future ceasefire,” Medinsky said.

He added that Russia is now waiting for confirmation from Ukraine and is ready to meet in person “on the date specified by them in the coming days” to start work.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that Moscow has no agreements on intermediaries for exchanging the ceasefire documents. She emphasized that the exchange of memoranda will happen directly between the parties during the next round of negotiations.

Background

On May 16, delegations from Ukraine, the U.S., and Turkey met in Istanbul, followed by direct talks between Russia and Ukraine. According to Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, they discussed key issues like a prisoner exchange in a “1000 for 1000” format, the possibility of a ceasefire, and a potential meeting between Presidents Zelenskyy and Putin.

On May 19, after speaking with Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump announced that peace talks between Ukraine and Russia would start immediately. However, on May 20, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there was no set timeline for preparing a peace memorandum. Then on May 22, the Russian Foreign Ministry claimed that Zelenskyy didn’t have the authority to sign a peace deal and said Ukraine should elect a new president.

On May 27, U.S. Special Representative Keith Kellogg said the U.S. had received Ukraine’s peace conditions and was waiting for Russia’s memorandum. He also mentioned a possible location for future talks. On the same day, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan suggested Istanbul as the place for a new negotiation round.

On May 28, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said a new round of talks between Russia and Ukraine would likely be announced soon. Meanwhile, Kremlin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said a meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy would only happen if specific agreements were reached. He added that work on Russia’s draft memorandum was nearly finished.

Also on May 28, Zelenskyy reported that Ukraine’s Defense Minister Rustem Umerov had contacted Russian official Medinsky, but Ukraine had not yet received Russia’s memorandum.