Russian foreign minister: No timeframe for Russo-Ukrainian meeting yet, memorandum at "advanced stage"
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said that the Russian side is at an "advanced stage" in its work on a memorandum to end hostilities in Ukraine.
Source: Russian Interfax news agency, quoting Lavrov; RIA Novosti, a Kremlin-aligned Russian news agency
Quote from Lavrov: "It is in progress [work on the memorandum - ed.]. I don't know about the other side, but our work is already at an advanced stage, and in any case, we will hand over this memorandum to the Ukrainians, as we agreed, and we will expect them to do [the same - Interfax]."
Details: Lavrov also said that there is no timeframe for the second round of Russo-Ukrainian talks. Regarding the Vatican as a meeting place for the two delegations, Lavrov said it would be "not elegant". "When the Orthodox are on the Catholic platform, they will discuss issues related to the elimination of the root causes," Lavrov said.
Also, Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin, said that the venue for the next round of talks between Russia and Ukraine is not yet known.
Background:
- On 19 May, US President Donald Trump had a call with Russian ruler Vladimir Putin, after which he announced that Ukraine and Russia will immediately start ceasefire talks.
- Putin claimed that Russia is ready to work on a memorandum with Ukraine which would include a possible ceasefire for a certain period of time. The Russian ruler also said that contact has been "resumed" between the negotiating groups that met in Istanbul.
- On 19 May, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine would be waiting for the Russian version of the memorandum. "If Russia proposes a memorandum, we will be able to formulate our vision," Zelenskyy said.
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