Putin's press secretary says Russia won't discuss its "peace memorandum" publicly

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has refused to comment on what conditions Russia will put forward in its draft memorandum for a ceasefire, saying that this should be discussed privately.

Source: TASS and RIA Novosti, Kremlin-aligned Russian news outlets, citing Peskov at a briefing

Quote: "Russia will not publicly discuss the content of documents on the settlement in Ukraine; negotiations must be held in private."

Details: Peskov also called Ukraine's demand to "immediately hand over the memorandum" unconstructive. According to the official, Russia proposed a meeting in Istanbul on 2 June, but has not yet received a response from Kyiv.

He added that "the main thing now is to continue the process of direct Russian-Ukrainian negotiations".

Peskov also stated that Putin's conversation with US President Donald Trump "could be organised at any time if necessary" because "all channels of communication were open".

Background:

• Russia proposed that the second round of negotiations with Ukraine be held in Istanbul on 2 June, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
• Defence Minister Rustem Umierov, who headed Ukraine's delegation at the talks with Russia in Istanbul, handed over a document to Russia that reflects the Ukrainian position and is waiting for their "memorandum" in response.
• 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 23 May, Zelenskyy stated that the fact that Russia had been drafting a so-called "memorandum" on a ceasefire for a week is a mockery of the entire world.

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