Diplomatic Thriller Over Russia-Ukraine Direct Talks in Istanbul: Moscow’s ‘No’ to Kyiv

The diplomatic thriller for a ceasefire in Ukraine is unfolding, with Moscow stating today that it awaits Kyiv’s response regarding the proposal for a second round of direct talks in Istanbul next Monday. The aim is for Ukraine to present terms for a peace agreement. ‘As far as I know, no response has been received yet… We must wait for Ukraine’s reply,’ said Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesperson, during a press briefing. Ukraine has not rejected the meeting but emphasized yesterday that it wants to know the content of Russia’s memorandum beforehand, outlining Moscow’s terms for sustainable peace. However, Peskov dismissed this ‘requirement’ from Kyiv today. Russia proposed a new round of direct negotiations yesterday, aiming to present Ukraine with a memorandum detailing key points to overcome the root causes of the conflict. When asked to comment on Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Simbiha’s statement that Russia should immediately hand over the memorandum, Peskov rejected the idea as ‘unconstructive.’ Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov stated that Kyiv had already submitted its memorandum for potential resolution and urged Russia to prepare its version without delay. Previous talks on May 16 failed to reach a ceasefire agreement, which Moscow claims is impossible until certain prerequisites are met. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on both nations not to ‘close the door’ on dialogue, expressing hope that talks will resume in Istanbul. ‘We are in contact with Russia and Ukraine… We tell them not to close the door while it is open,’ Erdogan told reporters upon returning from a visit to Azerbaijan. In another development, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that Russian forces have taken control of the settlement Stoyibka in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, as well as Sevchenko Pershe and Khatyafka in the Donetsk region.