U.S., Europe to join Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Istanbul — Kellogg

Keith Kellogg announced this in an interview with ABC News, according to Interfax-Ukraine.

The U.S. President’s special envoy for Ukraine also emphasized that Russia has still not delivered the promised memorandum to Ukraine.

“I asked the head of the Ukrainian President’s Office (ed. – Andriy Yermak) whether he had seen the document — he said he hadn’t seen it at all… Nor has Ukraine’s lead negotiator, Rustem Umerov, received it,” Kellogg stated.

According to Kellogg, this creates additional risks for the continuation of the negotiation process — Ukraine may refuse to take part in the next round of talks if it does not receive the memorandum.

Keith Kellogg also confirmed that delegations of national security advisors from the U.S., Germany, France, and the United Kingdom will participate in the negotiations in Istanbul.

The main topics of discussion during the talks will be Ukraine’s potential NATO membership, as well as control over the territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia regions, and Crimea.

“That’s what we will be talking about in Istanbul. What does it look like? What are your thoughts on this?” he said.

According to Kellogg, these partners helped Ukraine during previous consultations in London and will now provide their assessments again.

Ukraine-Russia peace talks: background

On May 16, a trilateral meeting of delegations from Ukraine, the U.S., and Turkey took place in Istanbul, followed by direct negotiations between representatives of Russia and Ukraine. According to Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, the key issues were a prisoner exchange in a “1000 for 1000” format, the possibility of a ceasefire, and a potential meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin.

On May 19, Donald Trump, after a conversation with Vladimir Putin, announced the immediate start of peace talks between Ukraine and Russia. However, on May 20, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that there were no timelines for preparing a peace memorandum. Later, on May 22, the Russian Foreign Ministry declared that Volodymyr Zelenskyy does not have the authority to sign a peace memorandum and that Ukraine must elect a new president.

On May 27, U.S. President’s special representative Keith Kellogg announced that Washington had received a document from Ukraine outlining conditions for peace and is now awaiting a memorandum from Russia. He also mentioned a possible location for future negotiations between the parties. On the same day, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan proposed Istanbul as the venue for a new round of talks between Russia and Ukraine.

On May 28, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that an announcement about a new round of talks between the Ukrainian and Russian sides would supposedly be made soon. At the same time, Dmitry Peskov noted that a meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy is possible only if concrete agreements are reached. He also added that work on the Russian draft memorandum is almost complete.

On May 28, Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that Rustem Umerov had called Putin’s aide, Vladimir Medinsky, but the Ukrainian side still has not received a memorandum from Russia. After this, Lavrov stated that the Russian delegation is ready to present their memorandum at the second round of talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on June 2.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs believes that the Russian side is delaying the peace process aimed at ending the war.