Newsletters
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Wednesday that Moscow has proposed holding a second round of direct negotiations with Ukraine on June 2 in Istanbul, Russian state-run media outlet TASS reported.
"With the support of the United States, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye, it was possible to create conditions for the resumption of direct Russian-Ukrainian negotiations," Lavrov said in a written statement.
He recalled that the first round of talks was held on May 16 in Istanbul and led to a prisoner exchange involving 1,000 individuals from each side. The parties also agreed to draft position documents aimed at achieving a sustainable resolution to the conflict.
"The Russian side, as agreed, promptly developed a memorandum that sets out our position on all aspects of reliably overcoming the root causes of the crisis," Lavrov said.
"Our delegation, headed by Vladimir Medinsky, is ready to present this memorandum to the Ukrainian delegation and provide the necessary explanations during the second round in Istanbul next Monday, June 2."
1 min read
Lavrov thanked Türkiye for hosting the talks and underscored its role in the process.
"As Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan confirmed during his visit to Moscow yesterday, I would like once again to thank our Turkish partners for providing a hospitable Turkish platform," Lavrov said.
He urged international stakeholders "who are sincerely, and not just in words, interested in the success of the peace process" to support the upcoming meeting in Istanbul.
Additionally, Fidan and Lavrov discussed the latest efforts to end the three-year Russia-Ukraine war in a phone call on Wednesday, according to Turkish diplomatic sources.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian side has not yet responded to Russia’s proposal for the second round of negotiations.
2 min read
