Ukrainian leader signals Russia’s hesitation on ceasefire talks

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced that the Russians are not ready for a ceasefire.

He proposed a ceasefire with Russia ahead of a potential summit between the leaders of both countries, signalling a renewed push for high-level diplomatic engagement, Caliber.Az reports via Ukrainian media. 

Zelenskyy revealed that Kyiv had suggested halting hostilities before any such meeting takes place. However, he noted that Moscow’s current negotiating delegation is not prepared to commit to a ceasefire, claiming it falls under the jurisdiction of top-level leadership.

“The Russians are not ready for a ceasefire. At least, the current level of their delegation isn’t authorised to make that decision,” the Ukrainian leader said. “They’ve told us directly that the ceasefire question is a matter for leaders.”

Zelenskyy emphasised that Ukraine is ready to meet without delay and has offered several neutral venues, including Istanbul, the Vatican, and Switzerland.

“We’re prepared for a meeting immediately. The choice of location is up to the Russians. We're proposing to start any day from Monday [June 9],” he added.

On June 2, the second round of negotiations between representatives from Moscow and Kyiv took place in Istanbul. The meeting was held at the Çırağan Palace and lasted just over an hour. During the session, both sides exchanged their versions of a memorandum outlining the terms for a ceasefire and reached several agreements. Russia and Ukraine committed to exchanging severely ill prisoners of war as well as detainees under the age of 25.

By Naila Huseynova