Ukraine awaiting Russia peace proposal ahead of Istanbul talks

Ukraine and Russia are preparing for a second round of peace talks scheduled to take place in Istanbul on June 2. These talks are crucial as both countries try to find a way to end the ongoing war. Russia has announced it will send a delegation to discuss its conditions for a ceasefire, but it has not yet shared its proposals with Ukraine, which Kyiv insists is necessary before meaningful negotiations can begin. Ukraine’s Defense Minister, Rustem Umerov, confirmed that Ukraine has already handed over its proposals to Russia, expressing readiness for a full and unconditional ceasefire. The first round of talks in Istanbul on May 16 did not lead to a breakthrough, except for a significant prisoner of war exchange, the largest since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha reiterated that Kyiv has sent its vision for future steps to Russia and emphasized that Moscow must accept an unconditional ceasefire to allow broader negotiations to proceed. Turkey, hosting the talks, hopes to eventually organize a high-level summit involving the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, and possibly the United States. However, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are not expected to attend the upcoming talks. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Russia’s ceasefire proposals would remain confidential and that Moscow would only consider a high-level summit if preliminary discussions show meaningful progress. A retired US general and former envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, described Russia’s concerns about NATO expansion as understandable but confirmed that Ukraine joining NATO is not currently on the table. US President Donald Trump recently spoke with Putin in a two-hour phone call about a US-proposed ceasefire deal, which Trump described as going very well. Ukraine has publicly agreed to a 30-day ceasefire, but Russia has only committed to working on a memorandum for a possible future peace, a move Kyiv and its European allies view as a delaying tactic to gain more territory. Following Russia’s largest drone and missile attacks on Ukraine, Trump criticized Putin, calling him 'absolutely crazy' and warning of US sanctions. Meanwhile, Germany’s new Chancellor Friedrich Merz assured Zelensky that Berlin would assist Ukraine in producing long-range missiles to defend against future Russian attacks. The Kremlin warned that lifting restrictions on missile ranges would be a dangerous policy change that could harm peace efforts. Currently, Russia controls about 20% of Ukraine’s internationally recognized territory, including Crimea, which it annexed in 2014.