Ukraine awaits Russia's truce terms, talks 'barely' alive
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A senior
UN
official on Thursday said there was little hope that the negotiations between Russia and Ukraine would produce a deal to halt fighting between the two sides.
"The massive wave of attacks over the weekend is a stark warning of how quickly this war can reach new destructive levels.
Further escalation would not only aggravate the devastating toll on civilians but also endanger the already challenging peace efforts," UN under-secretary-general for political affairs Rosemary DiCarlo told the Security Council on Thursday.
"According to Ukrainian officials, with 355 drones, Monday's attack was the largest drone attack on Ukraine since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion," she said, adding: "This topped the previous record from the night before."
The UN official noted that the "cautious hope" she expressed a month ago has diminished in the face of recent developments.
"The hope that the parties will be able to sit down and negotiate is still alive, but just barely," she added.
Germany to help Ukraine with long-range missiles.
Talks and ceasefire demands:
Russia and Ukraine held a first round of direct talks in Istanbul on May 16.
But both sides failed to reach an agreement on a ceasefire.
Moscow, which said it is impossible to achieve a truce before certain conditions are met, suggested a second round of direct talks take place on Monday.
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The Kremlin said Thursday that it was awaiting Kyiv's response to its proposal for holding a fresh round of talks.
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said this week that Moscow had drafted a memorandum outlining its terms for settling the Ukraine war.
But Ukraine said Moscow has not yet shared its proposal.
After the May 16 talks, Kyiv accused Russia of outlining unrealistic demands, including calls to cede territory that is still under Ukrainian control.
Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The war has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and the destruction of large parts of eastern and southern Ukraine.
Russian forces have moved forward on the battlefield while pushing peace demands that include Ukraine abandoning its NATO ambitions and giving up around a fifth of its land.
Zelenskyy says Russia engaging in 'yet another deception':
Ukrainian President
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
on Thursday slammed Russia, saying that it was engaging in "yet another deception" by failing to hand over its peace settlement proposal ahead of a potential meeting between Moscow and Kyiv.
"Even the so-called 'memorandum' they promised and seemingly prepared for more than a week has still not been seen by anyone," Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address.
"Ukraine has not received it. Our partners have not received it. Even Turkey, which hosted the first meeting, has not received the new agenda," he added. "Despite promises to the contrary, first and foremost to the United States of America, to President (Donald) Trump: Yet another Russian deception."
Zelenskyy urged Ukraine's allies to intensify pressure on Moscow.
What did the US say?
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters that Russia's invitation for more talks had heightened Ankara's hopes for peace.
Erdogan, who is hosting the talks, has maintained good ties with both sides.
"The road to a resolution goes through more dialogue, more diplomacy. We are using all our diplomatic power and potential for peace," Erdogan's office quoted him as saying.
The United States, meanwhile, said prolonging the war was not in anyone's best interest and that its proposal for a ceasefire in Ukraine was "Russia's best possible outcome" and President Vladimir Putin should take the deal.
"We want to work with Russia, including on this peace initiative and an economic package. There is no military solution to this conflict," acting deputy US Ambassador John Kelley told the UN Security Council.
"The deal on offer now is Russia's best possible outcome. President Putin should take the deal," he added.
"If Russia makes the wrong decision to continue this catastrophic war, the United States will have to consider stepping back from our negotiation efforts to end this conflict," Kelley stressed. "Additional sanctions on Russia are still on the table."
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