Ukraine remains open to the next round of negotiations with the Russian Federation, but insists on receiving an official memorandum with proposals for a ceasefire. This was stated by Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha during a meeting in Kyiv with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Negotiations in Istanbul and Ukraine’s Position
According to Sybiha, Ukraine aims to end the war this year and is ready to directly discuss the ceasefire with Russia. The minister emphasized that the Ukrainian side confirmed its readiness for direct dialogue during recent contacts with the Russian delegation.
“We are interested in continuing these meetings. We want to end this war this year. We are interested in a ceasefire. Ukraine will openly discuss this directly with Russia. We confirmed this during our recent meetings.”
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who recently returned from Moscow, shared his observations with the Ukrainian authorities regarding the further advancement of the peace process. Fidan noted that the negotiations in Istanbul, which took place on May 16, provided new momentum for the possibility of achieving peace.
Conditions and Progress of the Negotiations
During the Istanbul meeting, led by Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, the Russian delegation included several high-ranking officials, among them Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, Head of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia Igor Kostyukov, Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin, and four experts.
Despite the lack of significant progress, the parties managed to agree on a prisoner exchange in the format of “one thousand for one thousand,” the final stage of which took place on May 25.
These negotiations were the first direct talks between Ukraine and Russia in the last three years. The Ukrainian side demanded a 30-day ceasefire, but Russia insists on recognition of its sovereignty over four Ukrainian regions, none of which it fully controls. These territorial demands are what Moscow makes a condition for starting discussions on halting hostilities.