Russia announced on Thursday that it is still awaiting Ukraine's confirmation regarding participation in the upcoming peace talks scheduled in Istanbul on June 2. This development comes after Kyiv insisted that Moscow provide its peace terms prior to agreeing to the meeting.
While diplomatic efforts to resolve the three-year conflict have intensified recently, Russia continues its military operations in Ukraine, dismissing calls for an immediate ceasefire. Moscow has proposed a second round of direct talks in Istanbul, intending to present a so-called "memorandum" outlining its conditions for a lasting peace settlement.
However, Ukraine has demanded to see the memorandum in advance, a request Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov labeled as "non-constructive." Peskov stated, "As far as I know, no response has been received yet... we need to wait for a response from the Ukrainian side." Ukraine maintains that it has already submitted its peace terms and insists that Russia reciprocate.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged both parties not to close the door on dialogue ahead of the anticipated Istanbul meeting. The two sides previously met in Istanbul on May 16—their first direct talks in more than three years. Although those discussions did not produce a breakthrough, both nations agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners each, marking the largest prisoner swap since the conflict began.
Erdogan's foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Monday and was expected to travel to Kyiv on Thursday to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Meanwhile, former U.S. President Donald Trump, who has been advocating for a peace agreement, expressed frustration over what he perceives as Moscow's stalling tactics. He indicated he would assess within two weeks whether Russian President Vladimir Putin is genuinely committed to ending the hostilities.
The conflict, which escalated with Russia’s 2022 offensive, has resulted in tens of thousands of casualties and significant destruction, particularly in eastern and southern Ukraine.
Ukraine criticized Russia's reluctance to share the memorandum, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Georgiy Tykhy suggesting Moscow’s hesitation implies the document likely contains "unrealistic ultimatums." The Kremlin demands that Ukraine abandon its NATO ambitions and cede control of currently governed territories as conditions for peace.
Hostilities persist, as local Ukrainian authorities reported that overnight Russia launched 90 drone attacks, resulting in at least five civilian deaths across various regions including Kherson, Mykolaiv, Donetsk, and Sumy.
In recent combat developments, Russia claimed to have captured three villages in the Donetsk and Kharkiv regions and repelled 48 Ukrainian drone attacks, including three targeting the Moscow region. A retired Russian commander associated with air strikes on Mariupol died in an explosion in Stavropol; authorities did not exclude Ukrainian involvement.
Ukrainian President Zelensky accused Russia of deliberately stalling the peace process to continue its military offensive, highlighting that Russian forces have amassed over 50,000 troops near Sumy, aiming to establish a "buffer zone" inside Ukraine. Russia, for its part, continues its territorial advances amid complex negotiations.
