Moscow says it’s ready for Ukraine talks on Monday in Istanbul

Moscow has proposed further direct talks with Kiev on a possible ceasefire in the Ukraine war this Monday in Istanbul.

The Russian delegation is ready to present a memorandum to the Ukrainian team there and provide “necessary explanations” about it, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was quoted by the Russian state news agency TASS as saying on Wednesday.

He said his country has prepared a memorandum outlining its position on “all aspects of a reliable overcoming of the root causes of the crisis.”

The Russian negotiator at the first direct negotiations between Moscow and Kiev in mid-May in Istanbul, Vladimir Medinsky, wrote earlier on Telegram about a phone call with Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov.

He said he had proposed a specific date and location for a meeting to exchange memoranda. Russia is ready on site to begin a discussion on every point of the agreement for a possible ceasefire, he added.

Moscow and Kiev held direct negotiations in mid-May in Istanbul for the first time since 2022. The only result was the exchange of 1,000 prisoners each. Ukraine has been defending itself for more than three years with Western assistance against the full-scale Russian invasion.

Kiev has accepted the US proposal of a 30-day ceasefire as a starting point for negotiations. Moscow continues to reject this and, despite all declarations of a desire for peace, ultimately sticks to its maximum demands: Ukraine should be disarmed and practically brought back under Russian control.