Russia has proposed holding the next round of direct peace talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on June 2, aiming to work towards a sustainable resolution of the ongoing conflict, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced on May 28.
The announcement comes after the previous talks held on May 16 failed to broker a ceasefire, a key demand from Kyiv and its Western allies. Moscow maintained that certain conditions must be fulfilled before such a ceasefire could be considered.
In the wake of intensified international pressure, particularly from U.S. President Donald Trump, delegates from both Russia and Ukraine convened in Istanbul earlier this month, marking their first face-to-face discussions since March 2022, shortly after the outbreak of the conflict.
Lavrov expressed hope that all genuinely committed parties would support this new round of negotiations. Concurrently, Vladimir Medinsky, head of Russia’s peace delegation, conveyed via Telegram that he had reached out to Ukraine’s Defence Minister Rustem Umerov with proposals regarding the date and venue for the upcoming meeting and emphasized readiness to engage in substantial discussions on the ceasefire terms.
Additionally, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s spokeswoman Maria Zakharova indicated that both nations agreed to prepare and exchange their respective plans concerning the framework for settlement and ceasefire during the next session.
At present, Kyiv has not publicly responded to Russia’s invitation. Observers and international stakeholders continue to watch closely as efforts to resolve Europe’s most severe ongoing conflict develop.
