In a new attempt to achieve peace, Russia proposed to Ukraine to hold a second round of negotiations to try to reach a ceasefire, and proposed the upcoming June 2 as the date, in the city of Istanbul. The proposal comes after the harsh criticism made by the U.S. president Donald Trump.
"We trust that all those who are sincerely interested, and not just in words, in the success of the peace process—which began last May 16 in the Turkish city—will support the holding of the new round of direct Russian-Ukrainian negotiations in Istanbul," declared Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
With this proposal, Moscow sets aside other options that had been on the table in recent days, such as the Vatican, supported by Pope Leo XIV, and the city of Geneva, which hosted the last summit between Russia and the United States held in 2021.
"The Russian side, as agreed, has promptly prepared the corresponding memorandum that sets out our position on all aspects to reliably overcome the original causes of the crisis," states the statement published on the official website of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
According to leaks to the media, among the Kremlin's main demands would be the suspension of Western arms shipments to Ukraine, Kyiv's renunciation of joining NATO, and other demands related to halting the expansion of the Atlantic Alliance into areas near Russia, the lifting of economic sanctions, and the unblocking of frozen Russian assets abroad.
