Kremlin: Russia awaits Ukraine's response on proposed June 2 peace talks in Istanbul

Russia is still waiting for Ukraine to confirm its participation in a proposed new round of peace negotiations set for June 2 in Istanbul, Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov said at a briefing, responding to a question from TASS.

“We have suggested holding the second round in Istanbul on Monday, June 2. To my knowledge, we have not yet received any reply,” Peskov stated.

The planned meeting was earlier announced by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who said the talks would mark the second round of negotiations between the two countries. Lavrov also noted that Vladimir Medinsky, the Kremlin aide leading Russia’s delegation, would be presenting Ukraine with a comprehensive memorandum outlining Moscow’s position on addressing the underlying causes of the conflict.

The most recent round of talks took place on May 16.

During that previous session in Istanbul, both delegations reached a number of specific agreements: a large-scale prisoner exchange involving 1,000 individuals from each side, the drafting of detailed ceasefire proposals by both delegations, and a mutual pledge to keep the diplomatic process moving forward.

Following the May 16 talks, Vladimir Medinsky expressed Moscow’s satisfaction with the outcomes of the meeting.

The agreed-upon prisoner exchange was successfully carried out on May 26.

An earlier attempt at peace talks between Russia and Ukraine also took place in Istanbul in March 2022. However, those negotiations broke down after Russian forces withdrew from Bucha, a suburb of Kyiv, where mass civilian casualties were later uncovered. Since then, direct dialogue between Moscow and Kyiv has been sporadic and largely focused on humanitarian matters such as prisoner releases and the return of deceased servicemen.

By Tamilla Hasanova