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Ukraine announced Friday that it does not anticipate any productive outcomes from potential talks with Russia in Istanbul unless Moscow first provides its proposed peace terms.
Kyiv accused the Kremlin of actively trying to “sabotage” the upcoming meeting.
Despite recent diplomatic momentum, including the first direct talks in over three years earlier this month, Ukraine remains hesitant.
While Moscow confirmed it’s sending negotiators to Istanbul for a second round on Monday, Kyiv has yet to commit to attending.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated on X that Russia has failed for over a week to present its “memorandum,” a document Moscow claims outlines its peace conditions.
Zelensky stressed that for any meeting to be meaningful, its agenda must be clear and properly prepared, accusing Russia of doing “everything it can” to ensure the talks yield no results.
Russia maintains it will present the memorandum in person on Monday. However, Ukraine suspects the document will contain unrealistic and maximalist demands that Kyiv has already rejected, such as ceding territory still under Ukrainian control.
The full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022 triggered Europe’s largest conflict since World War II, resulting in widespread destruction, tens of thousands of deaths, and millions displaced.
At their previous Istanbul talks on May 16, both sides agreed to exchange documents outlining potential peace roadmaps.
Yet, Russia has consistently rejected calls for a full, unconditional, and immediate 30-day ceasefire, an idea initially proposed by US President Donald Trump.
Russian President Vladimir Putin insists a ceasefire is only possible through negotiations focused on the war’s “root causes,” a phrase Moscow typically uses to refer to sweeping demands like limiting Ukraine’s military, banning NATO membership, massive territorial concessions, and the removal of Zelensky’s government.
Kyiv and its Western allies have dismissed these demands as an imperialistic land grab.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has expressed increasing frustration with both Zelensky and Putin for their inability to reach a deal.
A US diplomat at a UN Security Council meeting on Thursday reaffirmed that Washington might withdraw from peace efforts if no progress is seen soon.
Turkey’s offer on Friday to host a summit with Trump, Putin, and Zelensky was swiftly rejected by the Kremlin, despite Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s role as a key mediator. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan also visited Kyiv on Friday.
Despite recent direct talks, there’s been little indication of a potential compromise.
At the May 16 talks, Ukraine reported that Russia threatened to intensify its ground offensive and reiterated maximalist demands.
Ukraine and its European allies continue to pressure Trump to impose fresh sanctions on Moscow, a step he has yet to take.
Zelensky warned that any “pauses in pressure or easing of sanctions are perceived in Moscow as a political victory—and only encourage further attacks and continued disregard for diplomacy.”
On the battlefield, Russian forces claimed to have captured another village in the northeastern Kharkiv region on Friday.
