Zelenskyy: Russia is doing all it can to ensure next meeting yields no results
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he suspects the next round of Istanbul talks proposed by Russia may produce no results due to Moscow's inaction.
Source: Zelenskyy on X (Twitter)
Quote: "Russia continues to ignore all calls from the world to cease fire and continues its killings. Moreover, for over a week now, the Russians have been unable to present the so-called 'memorandum' they had promised to prepare immediately after the 1,000-for-1,000 exchange. Ukraine has received no documents from them – nor has Türkiye. For a meeting to be meaningful, its agenda must be clear, and the negotiations must be properly prepared. Unfortunately, Russia is doing everything it can to ensure that the next potential meeting brings no results."
Details: Zelenskyy also said that he met with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Friday 30 May and passed on his thanks to Türkiye and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for their support for the peace efforts, particularly their role in organising the Ukraine-Russia meeting that ultimately led to the release of 1,000 Ukrainian prisoners from Russian captivity.
They also discussed the diplomatic efforts being made by Ukraine and its partners.
Quote: "We value all our cooperation with Türkiye aimed at making diplomacy effective. We are grateful for Türkiye's clear stance – consistent and full support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity."
The meeting between Zelenskyy and Fidan
Photo: Zelenskyy on social media
Background:
At a joint press conference with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan in Kyiv on 30 May, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Kyiv is ready for the next round of negotiations with Russia but is still waiting for Moscow's promised ceasefire "memorandum".
Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umierov has handed Russia a document outlining the Ukrainian position and is waiting for their "memorandum" in response.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on the ceasefire terms Russia intends to propose in its "memorandum", saying such discussions should not be held publicly.
Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi stated that Russia's unwillingness to formally submit its "memorandum" for talks indicates it likely contains unrealistic demands and is an attempt to delay the peace process.
Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNN
31 minutes ago
- CNN
Ukraine's drone attack the latest in a series of daring David versus Goliath hits against Russian targets
Ukraine's large-scale drone attack on Russian air bases thousands of miles behind the front lines is the latest in a long line of daring missions by Ukraine's forces against its giant neighbor. The operation, more than a year and a half in the making, involved drones being smuggled into Russian territory and hidden in wooden mobile houses atop trucks, according to a source in the SBU, Ukraine's domestic intelligence agency. The strikes caused an estimated $7 billion in damages and hit 34% of Russia's strategic cruise missile carriers at its main air bases, the source said. The assault also showed that Ukraine still has the ability to pressure Russia even as Moscow ramps up its own attacks and offensive operations. Here's a look at some of the Ukrainian force's most significant hits during the war: Analysts have called Ukraine's Sunday drone attack on the bomber bases the most significant by Kyiv since the beginning of the war. More than 40 aircraft were known to have been hit in the operation, according to an SBU security source, including TU-95 and Tu-22M3 strategic bombers and one of Russia's few remaining A-50 surveillance planes. The Tu-22M3 is Russia's long-range missile strike platform that can perform stand-off attacks, launching missiles from Russian airspace well behind the front lines to stay out of range of Ukrainian anti-aircraft fire. Russia had 55 Tu-22M3 jets and 57 Tu-95s in its fleet at the beginning of the year, according to the 'Military Balance 2025' from the International Institute for Strategic Studies think tank. The Tu-95 joined the Soviet Union air force in the 1950s, and Russia has modified them to launch cruise missiles like the Tu-22. Military aviation expert Peter Layton said the loss of the bombers, which could carry the heaviest and most powerful cruise missiles, mean Russia will need to rely more on drones for future attacks on Ukraine. Outside the immediate air war, the attack on the air bases will be a major distraction for Russian President Vladimir Putin, said Carl Schuster, a former director of operations at the US Pacific Command's Joint Intelligence Center, now a military analyst in Hawaii. 'Putin will direct more resources to internal security after such a domestic security failure,' Schuster said. 'Ukraine was able to deploy dozens of containers with drones to within line of sight of major Russian strategic bases and launch massive air strikes. Can you imagine explaining that one to Putin?' One of Ukraine's first major wins was the sinking of the cruiser Moskva, the pride of Russia's Black Sea fleet, in the early months of war. The Moskva was one of the Russian Navy's most important warships and its sinking represented a massive blow to Moscow's military, which at the time was struggling against Ukrainian resistance 50 days into Putin's invasion. In April, 2022, Ukraine's Operational Command South claimed the Moskva had begun to sink after it was hit by Ukrainian Neptune anti-ship missiles. Russia, meanwhile said a fire broke out on the guided-missile cruiser, causing munitions aboard to explode, inflicting serious damage to the vessel, and forcing the crew of the warship to be evacuated. Analysts said its loss struck hard at the heart of the Russian navy as well as national pride, comparable to the US Navy losing a battleship during World War II or an aircraft carrier today. What followed was a string of naval defeats for Moscow's Black Sea Fleet. In early 2024, six sea drones, powered by jet skis, felled a Russian guided missile ship, the Ivanovets. Night-time footage released by the Ukrainians showed Russians firing at the drones as they raced toward the Ivanovets, before at least two drones struck the side of the ship, disabling it and causing massive explosions. Built following Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea, the 12-mile Kerch bridge was a vital supply line for Moscow's war effort in Ukraine and a personal project for Putin, embodying his objective to bind the peninsula to Russia. Russia built the bridge at a cost of around $3.7 billion In July, 2023, Ukrainian security services claimed to have blown up the bridge using an experimental sea drone. The attack caused damage to the road lanes of the bridge, and, according to Russian officials, killed two civilians. The head of the SBU, Vasyl Maliuk, told CNN at the time that the Kerch attack was a joint operation with the Ukrainian navy. The bridge is a critical artery for supplying Crimea with both its daily needs and supplies for the military. A number of high profile Russian military figures have been killed inside the country over the past year. Crucially, Ukraine has never claimed the killings but it is notable that many of those killed played prominent roles in Moscow's . Last month, Russian deputy mayor and prominent veteran of the war, Zaur Aleksandrovich Gurtsiev, was killed in an explosion in southern Russia. Russian authorities said they were investigating all options into the killing, 'including the organization of a terrorist attack' involving Ukraine. Gurtsiev had been involved in the Russian attacks on the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, which destroyed about 90% of residential buildings, according to United Nations estimates. Gurtsiev had 'introduced his developments in the technology of targeting missiles, which allowed them to increase their accuracy and effectiveness many times over,' according to the 'Time of Heroes' program. In April, Russian authorities charged a 'Ukrainian special services agent' with terrorism, after he was detained in connection with a car explosion that killed Russian General Yaroslav Moskalik, the deputy head of the Main Operations Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces. And in February Armen Sarkisyan, the founder of a pro-Russian militia group in eastern Ukraine – described by authorities in Kyiv as a 'criminal mastermind' – died following a bombing in central Moscow. The bombing took place in an upmarket residential complex in the capital city, Russian state media outlet TASS reported at the time. Ukraine has never claimed the killings but it is notable that high-profile figures have been assassinated in Russian territory.
32 minutes ago
Ukraine-Russia peace talks to resume in Istanbul after surprise drone attack
LONDON -- Ukrainian and Russian delegations are set to meet again in Istanbul, Turkey, on Monday to take part in the next round of U.S.-brokered peace talks intended to end Russia's 3-year-old invasion of its neighbor. Revived talks so far have failed to reach a peace deal, or even achieve a sustained ceasefire, despite pressure on both sides by President Donald Trump's administration. The last meeting between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul in mid-May was the first direct contact between the two sides since spring 2022. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Sunday, according to a readout published by the State Department -- which said the call took place "at Russia's request." "Secretary Rubio reiterated President Trump's call for continued direct talks between Russia and Ukraine to achieve a lasting peace," the State Department said. The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the two men "exchanged views on various initiatives concerning the political settlement of the Ukrainian crisis." Ukraine is calling for a full 30-day ceasefire during which time peace negotiations can take place. Russia has refused the request, with President Vladimir Putin and his top officials retaining maximalist war goals dating back to the opening days of the Russian invasion. Among the Kremlin's demands are the annexation of four Ukrainian regions -- plus the retention of Crimea, which Russia seized in 2014 -- Ukrainian demilitarization and a permanent block on the country's accession to NATO. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a Sunday social media post that Kyiv's delegation will be led by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov. The president set out Ukraine's goals for the meeting. "First -- a full and unconditional ceasefire," he wrote. "Second -- the release of prisoners. Third -- the return of abducted children. And in order to establish a reliable and lasting peace and ensure security, preparation of the meeting at the highest level." Zelenskyy and his government have repeatedly accused Putin of intentionally sabotaging peace talks since Trump returned to office in January, having promised on the campaign trail to end the war within 24 hours. Trump's threat of further sanctions on Russia do not appear to have softened the Kremlin's war goals. Zelenskyy and his European backers have pushed Trump to increase pressure on Putin by introducing new sanctions on Russia and providing Ukraine with more military support. Keith Kellogg, Trump's Ukraine-Russia envoy, hinted at the president's growing frustration with Moscow, telling ABC News last week that the president has "seen a level of unreasonableness that really frustrates him." In a phone conversation with Trump in May, Putin said Russia would provide a "peace memorandum" outlining a possible settlement. Moscow is yet to provide the document. Vladimir Medinsky -- a Putin aide and long-time member of Russia's negotiating team -- said Sunday that the Russian team had received Ukraine's version of the peace memorandum. Since the last round of talks in Istanbul, Trump has hit out at Putin -- calling him "absolutely crazy" -- and again criticized Zelenskyy, saying of the Ukrainian leader, "Everything out of his mouth causes problems, I don't like it, and it better stop." Oleksandr Merezhko, a member of the Ukrainian parliament representing Zelenskyy's party and the chair of the body's foreign affairs committee, told ABC News, "Russia's primary goal is to avoid sanctions by pretending that it negotiates." "Putin is not interested in negotiations and ceasefire, because he hopes to start an offensive during summer," Merezhko added. "On the one hand, he imitates negotiations to avoid Trump's sanctions and simultaneously to demonstrate that Russia is not politically isolated. Yet, on the other hand, Putin hopes that if Trump will decide to withdraw from the negotiations, he will leave Ukraine without military support, one-on-one with Russia." The talks come a day after Ukraine launched one of the most stunning attacks of the war. In what a source in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) told ABC News was an operation one and a half years in the making, operatives used attack drones concealed in containers carried by trucks to attack strategic bomber bases deep inside Russian territory. Moscow has used long-range bombers and their cruise missile armaments to attack Ukrainian cities throughout the full-scale invasion. The SBU claimed to have hit more than 40 military aircraft in the attacks, which targeted multiple air bases thousands of miles from Ukrainian-controlled territory. Russia's Defense Ministry framed the operation as "a terrorist attack," claiming that the strikes were "repelled" in three regions, but noting that several aircraft caught fire at airfields during the attacks in Irkutsk and Murmansk -- videos of which the SBU published. Also on Sunday, Russian authorities reported the collapse of two railway bridges and derailment of two trains in regions bordering Ukraine, which they blamed on "explosions." At least seven people were killed, authorities said. In an address on Sunday, Zelenskyy called the Ukrainian drone attack a "brilliant operation" and said Russia "suffered truly significant losses." The president framed the attack as a defensive measure. "We will defend ourselves by all means available to us," Zelenskyy said. "Not for a single second did we want this war. We offered the Russians a ceasefire. Since March 11, the U.S. proposal for a full and unconditional ceasefire has been on the table. It was the Russians who chose to continue the war." "Pressure is truly needed -- pressure on Russia that should bring it back to reality," Zelenskyy added. "Pressure through sanctions. Pressure from our forces. Pressure through diplomacy. All of it must work together." Meanwhile, long-range drone and missile attacks continued overnight into Monday morning. Ukraine's air force said Russia launched 80 drones and four missiles into the country overnight, of which 52 were shot down or neutralized. The air force reported impacts in 12 locations. Russia's Defense Ministry said it shot down 162 Ukrainian drones over nine Russian regions overnight.
Bloomberg
33 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
Iran Says US Hasn't Given Clarity on Sanctions Relief in Nuclear Talks
Iran warned it won't strike a nuclear deal with the US unless Washington gives assurances that any agreement will include sanctions removal. 'No agreement will happen unless we have clear and reliable assurances about the end of sanctions,' Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Esmail Baghaei, said in press conference in Tehran on Monday.
