Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Ukraine's expected memorandum with Russian terms for a ceasefire cannot “be made public“ and that the Russian delegation will be ready for the meeting Monday morning in Turkey.
Ukrainian officials believe that Russia could try to trap their delegation by offering terms that are completely unacceptable to Kiev - such as a requirement to withdraw from territories it still controls - and then accuse Ukraine of botching the talks by refusing to continue them. The current diplomatic dance has deepened doubts about whether new talks will take place and, if they do, whether they can lead to any meaningful progress toward peace, writes "The New York Times".
Yesterday, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibikha accused Russia of delaying peace talks, saying that Moscow had not yet shared a promised memorandum outlining peace terms. He said Kiev wanted to see the document before sending a delegation to a new round of talks proposed by Moscow for Monday in Istanbul.
Sibiha told a news conference in Kiev that for any meeting to be "substantive and meaningful", Ukraine must "receive the document in advance so that the delegation that will attend has the authority to discuss the relevant positions".
Sibiha's remarks came as Ukraine and Russia maneuver to determine the terms and pace of peace talks while trying to win over the White House, which has threatened to withdraw from the talks altogether, the New York Times
Kiev's goal remains to first secure a ceasefire before moving on to negotiations on a broader peace agreement. Russia has shown little interest in a ceasefire. Instead, it has repeatedly said it wants the talks to focus on addressing the “root causes” of the war.
Both sides agreed to share their peace terms during a previous round of talks in Istanbul this month, which resulted in a major prisoner swap but little else. Kiev has confirmed that it has presented its own peace terms to both Russia and the United States ahead of possible talks next week. But Russia has said it will share its memorandum only during the new round of talks, prompting Ukraine to accuse it of delaying the peace process.