Ukraine accuses Russia of delaying peace talks with impossible demands

Ukraine says Russia is stalling negotiations to achieve peace by refusing to hand over an official document that outlines Russia’s terms for a ceasefire. 

Ukraine’s Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson, Heorhii Tykhyi, said Russia appears to be afraid to share the “memorandum” because it would expose that they are not genuinely interested in moving forward with peace efforts. 

“The Russians’ fear of sending their “memorandum” to Ukraine suggests that it is likely filled with unrealistic ultimatums, and they are afraid of revealing that they are stalling the peace process,” Tykhyi wrote.

Kyiv insists that Moscow must officially present the document so that negotiations continue. 

“[The Russians] must pass the document immediately, as Foreign [Affairs] Minister Andrii Sybiha said, and stop playing these games, which only show that they probably want the next meeting to be empty,” Tykhyi said.

Ukraine’s Defense Minister Rustem Umerov on May 28 handed the Russian side a document reflecting Ukraine’s position and said that he expects the Kremlin’s “memorandum” in return.

“After strong statements from President Trump, European leaders, and President Zelenskyy, which showed that the world is united around achieving peace for Ukraine, the Russians finally announced they had finished drafting their ‘memorandum.’ However, they are delaying the delivery of the document,” Umerov said.

The first direct talks between Russia and Ukraine in more than three years took place on May 16 in Türkiye. Media reports from Istanbul said the Russians demanded that no U.S. representatives be present at the talks and also put forward a number of conditions unacceptable to Kyiv.

Kremlin ruler Vladimir Putin said on May 19 that Russia was ready to work on a memorandum that could provide for a temporary ceasefire. On May 23, President of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called this “mockery” and said that Russia had been drafting the “memorandum” for a week already.

Later this month, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov proposed holding the next delegation meeting in Istanbul on June 2.