Zelenskyy: Ukraine to propose full ceasefire at Istanbul talks with Russia on June 2

Ukraine will propose a full and unconditional ceasefire during negotiations with Russia in Istanbul on June 2, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said.

The president said he held a lengthy meeting with Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, Head of the President’s Office Andriy Yermak, intelligence chiefs, and military officials, Caliber.Az reports, citing Ukrainian media.

“We discussed what exactly we expect from the meeting in Istanbul on Monday [June 2]. We propose a continued full, unconditional ceasefire and all worthy and rational steps that can bring a lasting and reliable peace. The Ukrainian proposal that we gave to the Russians is logical and realistic,” the president noted.

Zelenskyy also pointed out that Russia has not handed over its memorandum to any party — neither Ukraine, Türkiye, nor the United States.

“Despite this, we will try to achieve at least some progress on the path to peace,” he added.

To recall, the first face-to-face meeting in years between the Ukrainian and Russian delegations was held in Türkiye on May 16. That round of talks led to an agreement on a significant prisoner exchange deal based on a “1,000-for-1,000” framework. The exchange was successfully implemented in three phases over the past weekend.

By Khagan Isayev