Ukraine sends ceasefire memo, urges Russia to respond ahead of June 2 peace talks, Umerov says
Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said on May 28 that Kyiv is still awaiting the Russian side's proposed ceasefire memorandum, which was expected following peace talks in Turkey earlier this month.
According to Umerov, the international community had anticipated Russia would submit the document promptly after the May 16 negotiations in Istanbul.
"Unfortunately, the Russian side attempted to delay this process. But pressure worked," Umerov said in his Facebook post. He credited statements from U.S. President Donald Trump, European leaders, and President Volodymyr Zelensky for compelling Moscow to complete the draft. He noted, however, that Russia continues to withhold delivery of the document.
"They received our document," Umerov added, referring to Ukraine's position paper. "We reaffirm Ukraine's readiness for a full and unconditional ceasefire and continued diplomatic engagement."
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced the same day that Russia's memorandum, detailing its stance, would be presented by the delegation led by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky during the next round of negotiations set for June 2 in Istanbul.
During a press conference, Lavrov said the two sides had agreed on May 16 to draft documents outlining their respective positions. He added that Russia had "promptly drafted a corresponding memorandum," which includes what he described as steps to address the "root causes of the crisis."
Russia's so-called "root causes" include long-standing maximalist demands that Kyiv withdraw from four partially occupied regions, that NATO cease further expansion eastward, and that some sanctions on Moscow be lifted. The memorandum also reportedly addresses the issue of frozen Russian assets and calls for "the protection of Russian-speaking Ukrainians."
Moscow has promoted the narrative that Kyiv discriminates against Russian-speaking citizens through its language policies. While Russian is still widely spoken throughout Ukraine, the government has introduced reforms in recent years aimed at strengthening the use of Ukrainian in public life—part of broader efforts to reverse decades of Russification under both Soviet and Russian influence.
Umerov also said Ukraine is open to additional meetings but stressed the importance of preparedness to ensure any discussions are productive.
"The Russian side has at least four more days (until June 2) before their departure to provide us with their document for review," he said. "We call on them to fulfill that promise without delay and stop trying to turn the meeting into a destructive one. Diplomacy must be substantive, and the next meeting must yield results."
Read also: Russia massing 50,000 troops near border of Ukraine's Sumy Oblast, Zelensky says
We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
19 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Conservative Karol Nawrocki wins Poland's presidential election
Conservative Karol Nawrocki has won Poland's weekend presidential runoff election, according to the final vote count. Mr Nawrocki won 50.89% of the votes in a very tight race against liberal Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski, who received 49.11%. The close race had the country on edge since a first-round two weeks earlier and through the night into Monday, revealing deep divisions in the country along the eastern flank of NATO and the European Union. An early exit poll released on Sunday evening suggested Mr Trzaskowski was headed to victory before updated polling began to reverse the picture hours later. The outcome indicates that Poland can be expected to take a more nationalist path under its new leader, who was backed by US President Donald Trump.
Newsweek
30 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Poland Exit Polls Show Donald Trump-Backed Candidate Narrowly Ahead
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Exit polls for the Polish presidential election show populist Karol Nawrocki, who is also President Donald Trump's preferred candidate, with a narrow lead of 51 percent to 49 percent. Full results are expected later on Monday, with only 55 percent of the votes counted by early Monday morning local time. Why It Matters Right-wing parties in Europe experienced a surge in support over the past couple years, starting with Geert Wilders's victory in the 2023 Dutch parliamentary election, and accelerated by major gains in the 2024 European parliamentary elections. Trump's victory in the 2024 U.S. presidential election marked a major advance for right-wing groups, which have grown emboldened and have sought to once again borrow from Trump's playbook to secure further victories, including policies and ideological lines. Sunday's election will determine whether the country continues along Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk's pro-European path or shifts toward nationalist policies reminiscent of those championed by Trump. The president and prime minister must work together to pass legislation, making their alignment key. Tusk on Friday claimed that Russian hackers had targeted the websites of ruling coalition parties, just days ahead of the election, according to the Kyiv Independent. What To Know Nawrocki, a conservative historian with no previous political experience and supported by the Law and Justice Party, went head-to-head with Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski. Key issues include judicial reforms, abortion rights, and EU relations. Trzaskowski represents the pro-European Civic Coalition, while Nawrocki is aligned with nationalist and traditionalist views. Nawrocki holds a slender lead over his rival in what experts have noted as a marked shift from an initial exit poll released just after voting ended at 9 p.m. on Sunday night. Karol Nawrocki, candidate for the 2025 Polish presidential election supported by Poland's right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party, flashes the victory sign in front of supporters as exit polls were announced on tv during their... Karol Nawrocki, candidate for the 2025 Polish presidential election supported by Poland's right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party, flashes the victory sign in front of supporters as exit polls were announced on tv during their election night event at the Mala Warszawa Theatre in Warsaw, Poland, during the second round of the presidential elections on June 1, 2025. More Wojtek Radwanski/AFP via Getty Images In that poll, Trzaskowski had 50.3 percent of the vote, but the poll had a two percent margin of error, according to Politico. Trzaskowski attempted to hold that poll as a small victory, telling supporters that they would soon hear the phrase "razor-thin" everywhere as results continued to trickle in from various districts. "If everything is confirmed we will immediately get to work," Trzawkowski said. However, Nawrocki has remained defiant, telling his supporters that he will "win and save Poland!" "We will win, that difference is really so tiny," he said, as his supporters chanted "president of Poland." Nawrocki's victory would serve as a sharp rebuke from voters about Tusk's government by electing a president who could pose a major legislative hurdle to any policy aspirations the prime minister has. What People Are Saying Piotr Buras, ECFR: "Right wing and far-right candidates gathered as many as 54 percent of votes—this is the most surprising result. "The campaign in the next two weeks will be very polarizing and brutal—a confrontation of two visions of Poland: pro-EU, liberal and progressive versus nationalist, Trumpist and conservative."
CNN
36 minutes ago
- CNN
Drone strikes ahead of Russia-Ukraine peace talks leave Trump's credibility hanging by a thread
It was already hard to imagine a breakthrough emerging from the direct talks between Russia and Ukraine set to be renewed in Istanbul on Monday. But in the aftermath of what appear to have been multiple large-scale Ukrainian drone strikes against strategic bases across Russia, it's even less likely either side will be prepared to shift their red lines. Even before the latest strikes, which targeted Russian strategic aircraft thousands of miles from the Ukrainian border, the Kremlin had declined to formally set out, in the form of an agreed-to memorandum, what exactly it wants in return for ending what it refers to as its 'Special Military Operation'. But Russian officials have made no secret about their hardline terms, including sovereignty over all annexed territories, the demilitarization of Ukraine, immediate sanctions relief and what the Kremlin calls 'de-Nazification', involving things like guaranteeing the rights of Russian-speakers. Concerns about further NATO expansion toward Russian borders – especially Ukraine, but other countries too – have also been a consistent Kremlin grievance, as has the fate of hundreds of billions of dollars in frozen Russian assets abroad. There's been speculation in the Russian and Western media about areas for possible negotiation, and the outcome of the Istanbul talks are being closely watched for any hints of flexibility. But in the aftermath of what appears to have been a spectacular Ukrainian success, talk of Kremlin compromises may, for the moment, be off the table. Ukraine goes into this second round of direct talks bolstered by its apparent destruction of Russian strategic bombers and other crucial air assets. On Sunday, President Volodymyr Zelensky set out some of Ukraine's positions, including an unconditional ceasefire and the return of Ukrainian children taken to Russia. But Russian demands for Ukrainian forces to withdraw from territory it claims but has not even conquered remain unpalatable, even more so now Ukraine has shown it can still strike deep behind the front lines. Even before the latest Ukrainian drone strikes, amid preparations for the peace talks in Istanbul, Russia was stepping up attacks on Ukraine in what seems to be the early stages of a new summer offensive. Overnight Saturday, Russia launched its largest drone attack on Ukraine since the beginning of the war – involving 472 drones. On Sunday, a Russian missile strike killed at least 12 people and wounded more than 60 at a training site for the Ukrainian military. As all this unfolds, an increasingly frustrated US President Donald Trump, who used to brag he could end the Ukraine war in short order, is now watching from the sidelines as a cornerstone of his stated foreign policy looks decidedly shaky. Neither his pressure on the Ukrainian leader, who Trump lambasted in the Oval Office, nor his recent scolding of the Kremlin ruler appear to have pushed the two sides any closer to a peace deal. Trump still has powerful levers to pull if he chooses, like imposing tough new sanctions, such as those overwhelmingly supported in the US Senate, or adjusting US military aid in a way that would dramatically increase the costs of fighting on. The measures may not be decisive, but they would send a message of US commitment. What Trump says he is tempted to do, though, is simply walk away from the whole mess. This is Biden's war, he insists, or Putin's and Zelensky's. But walking away – and it is unclear what that means in terms of US policy – may no longer be an option. At least not walking away unscathed. His own insistence on ending the Ukraine conflict, along with his personal interventions with the Ukrainian and Russian leaders, means that Trump and the United States are now inextricably linked with the outcome. That's why events on the battlefield and at the negotiating table in Istanbul are being watched so closely. Despite his regular attempts to disown it, the Ukraine war has very much become Trump's war on which US credibility now hangs by a thread.
