Latest news with #RustemUmerov
Russia Today
15 hours ago
- Business
- Russia Today
Kremlin responds to Ukraine's criticism of peace proposal
Ukraine's demands that Russia 'immediately' delivers its draft roadmap for ceasefire talks are undermining diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said. Delegations from both countries are expected to meet soon to discuss their respective proposals for a truce. Moscow yesterday proposed a meeting in Istanbul on Monday to discuss the drafts. In response, Ukrainian officials criticized Moscow for not sharing its document ahead of time, accusing Russia of stalling the talks process. 'Demanding [to see the Russian document] immediately is just unconstructive. They should either confirm they are prepared for talks or say otherwise,' Peskov told reporters on Thursday during a regular briefing. Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, Kiev's lead negotiator, said on Wednesday that he had already sent Ukraine's draft to Moscow and claimed Russia was delaying its response. Foreign Minister Andrey Sibiga echoed the sentiment, insisting Russia should 'immediately submit their proposals for our consideration.' Umerov also repeated Ukraine's call for 'a full and unconditional ceasefire.' Vladimir Medinsky, head of the Russian delegation, said on Wednesday that he had contacted Umerov to finalize the date and venue for an exchange of memorandums. The next round of talks would also involve 'substantive discussion of each point of the package agreement on a future ceasefire,' he added. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov later confirmed that Moscow's document is ready, ahead of a proposed resumption of talks, sparking the complaints from Kiev. Peskov said that Kiev had yet to formally confirm participation in the meeting. Ukrainian officials previously insisted upon a 30-day pause in hostilities as a precondition for negotiations. Russia rejected the proposal, arguing it would give Kiev time to regroup militarily. Ukraine later revised its position after the administration of US President Donald Trump stated that it saw direct Russia-Ukraine talks as the next logical step toward a peace settlement. While pursuing diplomacy, Ukraine has also urged its Western backers to impose additional sanctions over Russia's refusal to accept an immediate ceasefire and has also intensified long-range strikes inside Russian territory.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Ukraine's memorandum proposes ceasefire across land, air, and sea, NYT reports
Ukraine's proposed memorandum to Russia includes provisions for a ceasefire on land, in the air, and at sea, to be monitored by international partners, the New York Times (NYT) reported on May 30, citing an unnamed senior Ukrainian official. Ukraine has submitted its document to the Russian side ahead of a second round of peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow that may take place in Istanbul on June 2, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said on May 28. The points reported by NYT echo Ukraine's and its partners' long-standing call for a comprehensive, unconditional ceasefire on land, in the air, and at sea for at least 30 days — a proposal Russia has consistently ignored. The peace talks in Istanbul also concluded on May 16 with no agreement between the two sides on a ceasefire. Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Serhii Kyslytsia, who was present at the Istanbul talks, said that Russia's negotiating team in Istanbul has repeatedly stated that "an unconditional ceasefire is categorically unacceptable." Moscow has proposed June 2 as the date for the next round of talks with Ukraine, despite escalating its attacks on the country. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on May 29 that the Russian delegation, led by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, is prepared to present the ceasefire memorandum to the Ukrainian side and provide necessary clarifications during the next Istanbul meeting. Presidential Office Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak said that Ukraine is ready to hold the new round of talks next week but insists on receiving the memorandum in advance. Reuters reported that Putin's conditions for ending Russia's war against Ukraine include a written pledge by NATO not to accept more Eastern European members, lifting of some sanctions, and Ukraine's neutral status, among other demands. Read also: Infighting around EU rearmament undermines grand ambitions for European defense We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
The Independent
2 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Russia and Ukraine in spat over proposed June peace talks after Trump pushes deadline on Putin
The Kremlin has proposed a second round of direct peace talks with Ukraine for 2 June, reviving negotiations that failed to make significant progress two weeks ago. But a war of words erupted following the offer, with Kyiv accusing Moscow of failing to send a memorandum outlining proposals for a future ceasefire - something it says was agreed upon during the previous talks. The latest row comes after US president Donald Trump issued a two week deadline for Vladimir Putin to demonstrate he actually wants to end the war he started three years ago. "We are not opposed to further meetings with the Russians and are awaiting their 'memorandum', so that the meeting won't be empty and can truly move us closer to ending the war,' Ukrainian defence minister Rustem Umerov said following Russia's offer to meet in Istanbul on June 2. "The Russian side has at least four more days before their departure to provide us with their document for review.' Ukraine has already sent over the document, Mr Umerov added. Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha echoed the call for Moscow to immediately send over its memorandum before a meeting on Monday. 'Why wait until Monday?' Mr Sybiha asked on X. 'Only a well-prepared meeting has the potential to produce tangible results.' Moscow hit back on Thursday, calling on Ukraine to accept the 2 June negotiations, where it says it will present Ukraine with a memorandum outlining what it described as key elements for 'overcoming the root causes' of the conflict. Russia has routinely used this line in apparent attempts to delay a truce, stating that it is not possible before certain conditions are met. Ukraine describes Russia's demands as maximalist. "Here, you have to either confirm your readiness to continue negotiations or do the opposite," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. When asked to comment on Mr Sybiha's suggestion that Russia should immediately hand over the memorandum, Peskov dismissed the idea as "non-constructive". As Russia and Ukraine battle on the diplomatic stage, conventional war continues on the frontline. Three people were killed in Ukraine after scores of drones were fired by Russia, while Ukraine damaged a building in Moscow in a drone attack on its own. In the southern Russian city of Stavropol, a local government official who had fought in Ukraine was one of two men killed in an explosion. Russian authorities have now opened a criminal case. The Russian offer for peace talks came after Donald Trump appeared to set a two-week deadline for Vladimir Putin to prove his intention for peace in Ukraine. On being asked in the Oval Office yesterday if he thought Mr Putin wanted to end the war, Mr Trump said: "I can't tell you that, but I'll let you know in about two weeks.' Asked whether the Russian leader might be intentionally delaying negotiations, he added: "We're going to find out whether or not he's tapping us along or not, and if he is, we'll respond a little differently." The US president has, however, previously set similar two-week deadlines, including on April 27 and May 19.
Russia Today
2 days ago
- Business
- Russia Today
Kremlin reacts to Ukrainian complaints over peace proposal
Ukraine's demands that Russia 'immediately' delivers its draft roadmap for ceasefire talks are undermining diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said. Delegations from both countries are expected to meet soon to discuss their respective proposals for a truce. Moscow yesterday proposed a meeting in Istanbul on Monday to discuss the drafts. In response, Ukrainian officials criticized Moscow for not sharing its document ahead of time, accusing Russia of stalling the talks process. 'Demanding [to see the Russian document] immediately is just unconstructive. They should either confirm they are prepared for talks or say otherwise,' Peskov told reporters on Thursday during a regular briefing. Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, Kiev's lead negotiator, said on Wednesday that he had already sent Ukraine's draft to Moscow and claimed Russia was delaying its response. Foreign Minister Andrey Sibiga echoed the sentiment, insisting Russia should 'immediately submit their proposals for our consideration.' Umerov also repeated Ukraine's call for 'a full and unconditional ceasefire.' Vladimir Medinsky, head of the Russian delegation, said on Wednesday that he had contacted Umerov to finalize the date and venue for an exchange of memorandums. The next round of talks would also involve 'substantive discussion of each point of the package agreement on a future ceasefire,' he added. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov later confirmed that Moscow's document is ready, ahead of a proposed resumption of talks, sparking the complaints from Kiev. Peskov said that Kiev had yet to formally confirm participation in the meeting. Ukrainian officials previously insisted upon a 30-day pause in hostilities as a precondition for negotiations. Russia rejected the proposal, arguing it would give Kiev time to regroup militarily. Ukraine later revised its position after the administration of US President Donald Trump stated that it saw direct Russia-Ukraine talks as the next logical step toward a peace settlement. While pursuing diplomacy, Ukraine has also urged its Western backers to impose additional sanctions over Russia's refusal to accept an immediate ceasefire and has also intensified long-range strikes inside Russian territory.
Al Jazeera
2 days ago
- General
- Al Jazeera
Russia says no Ukraine response on proposal for more Istanbul talks
Russia says it has yet to receive a response from Ukraine over its proposal to hold another round of ceasefire talks in Istanbul next week, as Turkiye's president urged the warring sides not to 'close the door' to dialogue. Moscow said earlier this week it wanted to hold new talks with Ukraine in the Turkish city to present a memorandum that would outline what it referred to as the key elements for 'overcoming the root causes' of the war. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday that so far Moscow has not received a reply from Kyiv. When asked to comment on Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha's suggestion that Russia should immediately hand over the memorandum, Peskov dismissed the idea as 'non-constructive'. 'Here, you have to either confirm your readiness to continue negotiations or do the opposite,' Peskov said. Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov said on Wednesday that Kyiv had already submitted its memorandum on a potential settlement and called on Russia to produce its version immediately, rather than waiting until next week. Ukraine's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Heorhii Tykhyi, said on X on Thursday that Russia's hesitancy to share its plan suggests that it was 'likely filled with unrealistic ultimatums'. 'They are afraid of revealing that they are stalling the peace process,' Tykhyi said. Officials from both sides met in Istanbul on May 16, their first direct talks in more than three years, but the encounter failed to yield a breakthrough. But Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said the recent momentum for talks was an opportunity to reach lasting peace. 'The road to a resolution goes through more dialogue, more diplomacy. We are using all our diplomatic power and potential for peace,' he told reporters on Thursady, according to his office. 'During the course of each of our meetings, we have reminded our interlocutors that they should not pass up this opportunity,' Erdogan said, adding that 'extinguishing this huge fire in our region … is a humanitarian duty.' In Ukraine, local authorities said at least five people were killed across the country after Russia fired 90 drones overnight. Russia's Ministry of Defence said its air defences had intercepted 48 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 30 over the Belgorod region. The ministry added in separate comments that its army had captured the village of Stroivka in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region as well as Gnativka and Shevchenko Pershe in the Donetsk region.
