Russia suggests date for upcoming discussions with Ukraine
(MENAFN) Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has proposed resuming direct peace talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on Monday, June 2. Ukrainian officials are reportedly considering the offer.
The suggested meeting would follow the May 16 negotiations in Istanbul — the first face-to-face discussions between the two countries since 2022. Lavrov stated that Russia’s delegation, led by top negotiator Vladimir Medinsky, has prepared a memorandum outlining proposals for a lasting resolution to the conflict.
“Our team is ready to present the memorandum to their Ukrainian counterparts and clarify any points during the second round of talks in Istanbul,” Lavrov said. He urged all parties genuinely committed to peace to support this initiative, and he thanked Türkiye, the US, and Saudi Arabia for their roles in facilitating the process.
Lavrov noted that the previous round of talks helped enable the largest prisoner swap between Russia and Ukraine so far, with each side releasing 1,000 detainees.
Medinsky, who is also a presidential aide, confirmed on Wednesday that he had personally called Ukrainian Defense Minister and lead negotiator Rustem Umerov to propose the June 2 date for the next meeting, where both delegations would exchange written proposals. He said Kiev had taken time to deliberate and that Russia is awaiting confirmation.
He also rejected Western media claims that Umerov initiated the contact and that Russia was unprepared, calling the reports inaccurate.
Russia continues to emphasize that any peace settlement must address core security concerns, including Ukraine’s neutrality and non-nuclear status, thereby ruling out NATO membership. Earlier Western demands for a 30-day ceasefire before talks were rejected by Moscow, which claimed such a pause would allow Ukraine to regroup militarily. Kiev reportedly changed its position under pressure from the US, agreeing to direct dialogue with Russia.
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