Ukraine yet to commit to new round of Russia talks in Istanbul
Ukraine says it wants to see a document detailing Russia's proposed terms for a ceasefire before sending a delegation to Istanbul for bilateral talks next week, while the Kremlin said it expected the two sides to discuss truce conditions at the planned meeting.
Speaking at a news conference in Kyiv on Friday, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha did not confirm that Ukraine would take part in the talks that Russia has proposed take place on June 2, saying his side needed assurances the Kremlin was genuine about wanting to end the war.
'In order for the next planned meeting to be substantive and meaningful, it is important to receive a document in advance so that the delegation that will attend has the authority to discuss the relevant positions,' he said.
He said Ukraine had not received any such document outlining Russia's proposals so far.
The two sides previously met in Istanbul on May 16 for their first direct talks in more than three years. The talks ended in less than two hours, failing to yield a breakthrough on a ceasefire. The warring sides did agree on a prisoner exchange, which later took place, and agreed to swap documents outlining possible roadmaps to peace.
Ukraine expressed disappointment after the talks, with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying it was a 'sign of disrespect' that Russia had sent a junior delegation that was not authorised to sign a ceasefire.
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi said on X on Thursday that Russia's delay in sharing its ceasefire proposal suggested that it was 'likely filled with unrealistic ultimatums'.
Speaking at Friday's news conference alongside visiting Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Sybiha said Kyiv wanted to end the war.
'We want to end this war this year, and we are interested in establishing a truce, whether it is for 30 days, or for 50 days, or for 100 days,' he said.
'Ukraine is open to discussing this directly with Russia. We confirmed this during the last meeting of our delegations with the Russian side.'
Fidan suggested that a meeting between Zelenskyy, Russian President Vladimir Putin and United States President Donald Trump, under the direction of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, could follow next week's talks, if they went ahead.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said any such meeting could only take place if results were achieved in the bilateral negotiations.
He said both sides' proposals for an agreement would be discussed in Istanbul, and the details would not be made public.
Peskov added that Russia was pleased that Putin's position on Ukraine joining NATO was being understood by the US, in response to a comment by Trump's envoy Keith Kellogg that Moscow's concerns about Kyiv joining the alliance were fair.
Kellogg told US network ABC that he was expecting the bilateral talks in Istanbul to go ahead.
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