Moscow proposed a new round of in-person talks with Ukraine in Istanbul next Monday amid rising pressure from the US president.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russia hopes the proposal will be supported by “not just by words, but by all those interested in the success of the peace process.”
The statement comes after Russia launched its biggest air attack in history on Ukraine, launching hundreds of drones and missiles for several consecutive days.
Lavrov said he spoke with the US Secretary of State and presented Moscow’s “specific proposals” for the next negotiations.
The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying that it had “notified Secretary of State Marco Rubio about the implementation of a 19-year agreement between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump.”
No further details were given as to what these contracts were or what was included in Moscow’s “specific proposals.”
On May 19, Trump and Putin called, saying the Russian president is “ready to negotiate a memorandum of understanding on a future peace treaty.”
But Putin said he repeatedly demanded Moscow, rejecting the idea of a ceasefire as the first step towards a future peace agreement.
During the call, Putin promised Trump that Russia would create a “memorandum” for future agreements, and Ukraine prepared similarly.
What’s insidePeace Memorandum’?
After the first round held in Istanbul on May 16, Ukraine and Russia were to prepare their memorandum and set their position.
Kiev said it had submitted documents on the terms of peace and insisted that Russia would do the same before further consultations.
The Ukrainian defense minister who led the Turkish delegation said, “We are not opposed to further meetings with the Russians and are waiting for their memorandum,” adding that the Kiev delegation has yet to receive anything from Moscow.
“The Russian side is at least four days before departure to provide documents for the review. Diplomacy must be substantive and the next meeting must bring results,” Rustem Umerov said Wednesday.
However, Moscow insists that it will only be presented in Istanbul on Monday. Lavrov said the Russian delegation is “ready to present a memorandum of understanding to the Ukrainian delegation and to provide the necessary explanations for the second round of the in-person meeting in Istanbul on Monday, June 2nd.”
He added that the Moscow team “sets our position on all aspects that will ensure that the root cause of the crisis is overcome” and “quickly drafted a corresponding memorandum.”
The Kremlin has been using the term “root cause” by increasing its ranking in early 2022 to a full-scale Ukraine invasion, repeatedly referring to it to justify an all-out war with its neighbouring nations.
Among other maximalist demands, Moscow includes what is considered Kiev’s withdrawal from four partially occupied Ukrainian regions that it claims to have annexed, including territory that Moscow does not control.
The new Russian memorandum reportedly includes a written pledge that NATO will not expand further eastward, effectively blocking Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova from participating.
Reports say Moscow also calls for resolution of Western sanctions and the resolution of frozen Russian assets, as well as previously stated goals such as “protection of Russian-speaking Ukrainians.”
Russia has repeatedly failed to provide concrete Ukrainian evidence that it puts pressure on its citizens over the use of language.
In particular, Moscow is not prepared for concessions and instead claims that Kiev must give up its territory and abandon its desire for membership in the EU and NATO.
There are no meetings between the presidents
The Kremlin has not commented whether Putin will agree to his meeting with Ukrainian Voldymir Zelenki at some stage in the negotiation process.
The meeting in Istanbul is expected to have the same delegation and same delegation as the Kiev team led by the Ukrainian Defense Minister and the Moscow delegation led by Putin’s aide Vladimir Medinsky.
On Tuesday, the Ukrainian president said he was ready for a trilateral meeting between Trump and Putin, Ukrainian national broadcaster Suspern reported.
“We are ready to meet at the leadership level. The American side knows this, the Russian side knows this. We are ready for the form of “Trump, Putin, Me,” and the form of Trump Putin, Trump Zelensky, and the three of us,” Zelensky said.
He also added that several venues are being considered for future consultations between Ukraine, Russia, the United States, particularly Turkey, Switzerland and the Vatican.
The US president has been increasing pressure on Putin over the past week, despite stopping it from issuing new sanctions against Russia.
On Wednesday, Trump appears to have announced a deadline for the Russian president to advance ceasefire negotiations with Ukraine.
When asked if Putin thought he was serious about the peace deal, Trump said, “We’ll let you know in about two weeks.”
