The Kremlin has proposed a second round of direct peace talks with Ukraine for 2 June, reviving negotiations that failed to make significant progress two weeks ago.
But a war of words erupted following the offer, with Kyiv accusing Moscow of failing to send a memorandum outlining proposals for a future ceasefire – something it says was agreed upon during the previous talks. The latest row comes after US president Donald Trump issued a two-week deadline for Vladimir Putin to demonstrate he actually wants to end the war he started three years ago.
"We are not opposed to further meetings with the Russians and are awaiting their ‘memorandum’, so that the meeting won’t be empty and can truly move us closer to ending the war,” Ukrainian defence minister Rustem Umerov said following Russia’s offer to meet in Istanbul on 2 June.
"The Russian side has at least four more days before their departure to provide us with their document for review.” Ukraine has already sent over the document, Mr Umerov added.
Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha echoed the call for Moscow to immediately send over its memorandum before a meeting on Monday. “Why wait until Monday?” Mr Sybiha asked on X. “Only a well-prepared meeting has the potential to produce tangible results.”
Moscow hit back on Thursday, calling on Ukraine to accept the 2 June negotiations, where it says it will present Ukraine with a memorandum outlining what it described as key elements for “overcoming the root causes” of the conflict.
Russia has routinely used this line in apparent attempts to delay a truce, stating that it is not possible before certain conditions are met. Ukraine describes Russia’s demands as maximalist.
"Here, you have to either confirm your readiness to continue negotiations or do the opposite," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
When asked to comment on Mr Sybiha’s suggestion that Russia should immediately hand over the memorandum, Peskov dismissed the idea as “non-constructive”.
As Russia and Ukraine battle on the diplomatic stage, conventional war continues on the frontline. Three people were killed in Ukraine after scores of drones were fired by Russia, while Ukraine damaged a building in Moscow in a drone attack of its own.
In the southern Russian city of Stavropol, a local government official who had fought in Ukraine was one of two men killed in an explosion. Russian authorities have now opened a criminal case.
The Russian offer for peace talks came after Donald Trump appeared to set a two-week deadline for Vladimir Putin to prove his intention for peace in Ukraine.
On being asked in the Oval Office yesterday if he thought Mr Putin wanted to end the war, Mr Trump said: “I can’t tell you that, but I’ll let you know in about two weeks.”
Asked whether the Russian leader might be intentionally delaying negotiations, he added: “We’re going to find out whether or not he’s tapping us along or not, and if he is, we’ll respond a little differently.”
The US president has, however, previously set similar two-week deadlines, including on 27 April and 19 May.
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