The Kremlin announced preparations for a new round of negotiations with the Ukrainian side. This was announced by the press secretary of the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, Dmytro Peskov.
“Now we are focusing on the fact that the date of the third round of consultations will be agreed upon next week,” – said the spokesman of the President of the Russian Federation.
He also reminded that the parties have already exchanged draft memorandums.
“It is necessary, of course, to compare the reaction of the parties to these memoranda”, – added Peskov.
It will be recalled that on May 11, after the European ultimatum regarding the ceasefire in Ukraine, Putin expressed his readiness to resume direct negotiations in Istanbul on May 15 – “without preconditions.” President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi agreed to a personal meeting and announced that he would be waiting for Putin in Turkey on the specified date.
However, the Kremlin did not react publicly, and the composition of the Russian delegation was approved only on the night of May 14. Putin personally did not come to the negotiations, instead delegating a low-level team led by his assistant Volodymyr Medinsky. Zelensky called such a delegation sham. On May 28, the Minister of Defense of Ukraine Rustem Umyerov, who heads the Ukrainian negotiating team, handed Medinsky an official document with Ukraine’s position.
The second round of negotiations took place on June 2 in Istanbul. The parties managed to reach an agreement on the exchange of prisoners according to the formula “all for all” — for seriously wounded, seriously ill and young servicemen. In addition, the Ukrainian side offered to hold a meeting at the level of leaders. Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized his readiness for negotiations with the head of the Kremlin even without a preliminary ceasefire.
