A new attempt. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced this Sunday that a delegation Ukrainianled by his Minister of Defense Roustem Oumerov, would be in Istanbul on Monday For talks expected with Russia.
“I also defined our positions before Monday’s meeting in Istanbul,” he wrote on social networks, adding that the delegation would be led by Roustem Oumerov, as was the case for the first cycle of negotiations in May.
I heard reports from the Minister of Defense of Ukraine, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the General Staff, our intelligence agencies, and the Security Service of Ukraine. Our defense, our active actions, and our diplomacy.
We are doing everything to protect our independence,… pic.twitter.com/MAz2stbUUR
– Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Volodymyr Zelenskyy (@zelenskyyua) June 1, 2025
Reaffirmed priorities
Ukraine’s priorities are to obtain “a complete and unconditional ceasefire”, as well as the “return of prisoners” and the Ukrainian children that kyiv accuses Moscow of having kidnapped, he added.
The Russian and Ukrainian delegations have already held talks in Istanbul on May 16, in order to end the war launched by the Russian invasion of February 2022.
But the meeting had been not very successful, the two countries agreeing only on an exchange of magnitude of prisoners.
Russia had offered a new meeting in Istanbul on Monday, but Ukraine has so far left doubt about its participation.
Volodymyr Zelensky had notably accused Moscow on Friday of scuttling the negotiations by refusing to transmit in advance his “memorandum” detailing his conditions for a peace agreement.
Despite diplomatic efforts, the positions of Ukraine and Russia are opposed.
Russia requires in particular that Ukraine definitively renounces to join NATO and sell it the five regions whose annexation it claims.
Zelensky wants to meet Putin
These conditions are unacceptable for kyiv, which requires in return Pure and simple withdrawal from Russian troops of its territory.
Moscow also refuses the unconditional ceasefire requested by kyiv, Washington and Europeans.
Volodymyr Zelensky also called on Sunday to “prepare A meeting at the highest level », That is to say with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He has already proposed to Vladimir Putin a meeting, but the master of the Kremlin did not follow up.
