Russia says it has proposed date and venue for new talks with Ukraine

Vladimir Medinsky, head of the Russian delegation at the Istanbul negotiations, has stated that he had held a conversation with Ukraine’s Defence Minister Rustem Umierov regarding the next round of talks.

Source: Kremlin-aligned Russian news agency TASS, citing Vladimir Medinsky and Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova

Details: Medinsky stated that Russia had proposed a date and location for the next negotiations in the coming days to exchange draft memoranda on settlement terms.

He said the Ukrainian side "went to consult" and Russia is now waiting for a response "as soon as possible".

Zakharova said that in Istanbul "Russia and Ukraine agreed to exchange documents on settlement proposals directly and to discuss them at the next round of negotiations".

She added that there were no agreements with the US or other countries acting as intermediaries in the exchange of draft memoranda.

Background:

• On 16 May, direct talks were held in Istanbul between Russian and Ukrainian delegations for the first time in over three years. Serhii Kyslytsia, First Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine, a member of Ukraine’s delegation at the Istanbul talks with Russia, stated that the Russian representatives, led by Medinsky, behaved aggressively and issued direct threats to the Ukrainian side.
• On 19 May, Russian ruler Vladimir Putin said that Russia is ready to work on a memorandum with Ukraine which would include a possible ceasefire for a certain period of time.
• On 19 May, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Kyiv would be waiting for the Russian memorandum. "If Russia proposes a memorandum, we will be able to formulate our vision," he noted.
• On 28 May, Zelenskyy stated that Umierov contacted Medinsky following a major prisoner exchange agreed upon during negotiations in Istanbul. However, Ukraine has not received the "memorandum" promised by Russia.

Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!