Zelenskiy Says Ukraine's Defense Minister Had Call with Russian Negotiator

 

Zelenskiy Says Ukraine's Defense Minister Had Call with Russian Negotiator 

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced on Wednesday that Ukraine’s Defense Minister Rustem Umerov recently spoke with the head of Russia’s delegation in Istanbul talks, Vladimir Medinsky. The call was to discuss Moscow’s current draft memorandum outlining conditions for peace negotiations.

Ukrainian and Russian officials held talks on May 16—the first since spring 2022—with Kyiv pushing for an immediate, unconditional ceasefire, while Moscow maintains it has specific conditions it will lay out.

See also: Ukrainian Drones Hit Russian Weapons Production Sites, Kyiv Says

Zelenskiy criticized Russia for delaying negotiations, saying, “The world has been waiting over a week for Russia to complete their so-called memorandum on what they need to stop the killing of people.” He also noted that Kyiv has yet to receive the documents Moscow promised after the Istanbul talks, and that the U.S. has not received anything either.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov indicated that Russia is preparing for future negotiations with Ukraine, potentially at Istanbul, and plans to maintain contact with the U.S.