Russia has proposed a specific date and venue for the next round of talks with Ukraine, Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, who leads Moscow's delegation in ongoing negotiations, said on May 28.
Medinsky claimed he personally called Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov to suggest holding a meeting "in the coming days" to exchange draft memoranda outlining conditions for a potential ceasefire. He emphasized that Russia is prepared to begin substantive negotiations on each point of a future comprehensive agreement at that meeting.
"The Ukrainian side went to consult, and it seems those consultations are taking some time," Medinsky wrote on Telegram. "We are ready to meet in person on the date we have set — in the next few days — to start work."
Ukrainian officials have not publicly commented on the call.
The announcement follows a May 16 meeting between Ukrainian and Russian delegations in Istanbul, where the two sides failed to reach agreement on a 30-day ceasefire, as Russia continued pushing its maximalist demands.
Ukraine had offered an immediate halt to hostilities, an all-for-all prisoner swap, and a summit between Presidents Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin. Russia insisted Kyiv withdraw from four partially occupied Ukrainian regions it claims to have annexed.
Despite the deadlock, both sides agreed on a 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner exchange.
Earlier, Reuters reported that Moscow's demands for a ceasefire also include a written pledge that NATO will not expand further eastward, effectively blocking Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova from joining, as well as the lifting of some Western sanctions, resolution of frozen Russian assets, and what it calls the protection of Russian-speaking Ukrainians.
Despite calls for the continuation of peace talks, Russia has intensified its attacks on civilians. Russian forces launched a three-day wave of aerial attacks from May 24 to May 26, firing more than 600 drones and dozens of missiles across Ukraine.
On May 26, Russia carried out the biggest drone attack of the full-scale war, which reportedly involved 355 Shahed-type attack drones and decoys.
Kateryna Hodunova
(Updated: )
