As for the venue, it will likely be Istanbul again.
“There was no question of choosing a different venue,” propagandists quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying.
On June 14, Vladimir Putin, in a phone conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump, confirmed, according to propagandist reports, Russia’s readiness to continue negotiations with Ukraine after June 22.
Negotiations in Istanbul on June 2
On June 2, the second meeting between the delegations of Ukraine and Russia took place in Istanbul. According to Russian media, the talks lasted more than an hour.
The Russian delegation, as in the first round on May 16, was headed by Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to Putin. Ukraine’s delegation was led by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.
After the negotiations, Umerov told reporters that the parties had only agreed to move forward with the next stage of a prisoner exchange. Ukraine also proposed a complete ceasefire and a meeting at the level of the two countries' leaders. Regarding the leaders' meeting, Ukraine is awaiting a response from Russia by the end of the month. The parties have one week to study the memoranda exchanged, Umerov said.
Russia refused to hand over its memorandum to Ukraine ahead of the meeting in Istanbul, while Ukraine submitted its memorandum in advance.
On June 13, Deputy Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha said Ukraine supports negotiations where decisions are made and issues are resolved. He added that during the last meeting, Ukraine demonstrated constructiveness, but Russia “showed complete inadequacy” by submitting a memorandum that included ultimatums.
“They have not changed the rhetoric of ultimatums; they are demanding that we surrender,” Sybiha said.