Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said today that Russia was doing everything possible to ensure that the proposed talks in the Turkish metropolis of Istanbul on June 2 do not lead to a result, Reuters reported, BTA reported.
"For the meeting to be meaningful, there must be a clear agenda and the negotiations must be well prepared. "Unfortunately, Russia is doing everything it can to ensure that there are no results from the next potential meeting (between the two sides)," Zelensky wrote on the social platform "Ex".
Ukraine is insisting that Moscow familiarize the other negotiating parties with its draft peace memorandum before the start of the talks in Istanbul, Reuters notes.
Russia told the UN Security Council on Monday that a ceasefire alone is not enough to end Moscow's more than three-year-old war in Ukraine, Reuters reported.
"To achieve a sustainable and lasting settlement of the Ukrainian crisis, we must address its root causes," Russian Ambassador to the UN Vasily Nebenzia told the Security Council.
"What we are proposing is a second round of talks next Monday in Istanbul (...), where we can exchange memoranda on the approaches of both sides to the negotiation process. process."
Ukraine is ready to resume direct peace talks with Russia in Istanbul on Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, told the Associated Press, adding that there had been uncertainty for days whether Kiev would participate in the meeting proposed by Moscow.
However, Ukrainian officials are demanding that the Kremlin provide them with a draft memorandum outlining its position on ending the more than three-year war before the two delegations sit down to negotiate.
"Ukraine is ready to attend the next meeting, but we want to engage in a constructive discussion," Yermak said in a statement on the website of the Ukrainian presidential office.
"This means that it is important to receive Russia's draft proposal. "There is enough time - four days is enough to prepare and send the documents," Ermak said.
Ukraine and its European allies have repeatedly accused the Kremlin of deliberately delaying steps towards peace while it tries to impose the initiative of its larger army on the battlefield and seize more Ukrainian territory.
Kiev's Western partners, including the United States, have been insisting that Moscow agree to an unconditional ceasefire - something Kiev has accepted, while the Kremlin has been pushing for more favorable terms.