Russia and Ukraine could schedule the third and next round of negotiations after the sides examine each other’s peace terms, the Kremlin said Wednesday.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, who leads Kyiv’s delegation, proposed further talks between June 20 and June 30, after the sides again failed to agree to a ceasefire during their meeting on Monday.
He said Kyiv had a week to study Moscow’s proposals, which Russian negotiators presented to their Ukrainian counterparts at talks in Istanbul, Turkey, after being accused of holding out for days.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Wednesday that the Russian side also needed time to review the memoranda.
“Obviously, it will take some time,” Peskov said.
“As soon as the parties are ready, they will agree on new dates for the next round,” he added.
Peskov said the date of the next talks could not be predicted because the delegations were “feeling out acceptable times” in the course of establishing contacts, according to the Kommersant business newspaper.
Russian President Vladimir Putin told U.S. President Donald Trump during a call on May 19 that Moscow and Kyiv were preparing a memorandum on a future peace deal.
Russian state media published Moscow’s terms — including Kyiv’s withdrawal from the four Ukrainian regions under Russia’s partial occupation — that are expected to be non-starters for Ukraine and its Western allies due to their punitive nature.
Under pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump to end the bloodiest conflict in Europe since World War II, delegates from both countries met in Istanbul on May 16 for the first time since March 2022, the month after Russia began its full-scale invasion.
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