Kremlin Confirms Potential for Third Round of Russia-Ukraine Talks Following Review of Peace Proposals

Russia and Ukraine may arrange the third round of negotiations once both parties have had the opportunity to review each other’s peace proposals, according to a statement from the Kremlin on Wednesday.

Rustem Umerov, the Ukrainian Defense Minister who heads Kyiv’s delegation, suggested holding additional discussions between June 20 and June 30, following a failed attempt to reach a ceasefire during their meeting on Monday.

Umerov noted that Ukraine needed a week to analyze the proposals put forth by Russia, which were presented at talks in Istanbul, Turkey, after accusations that Russian representatives had delayed the discussions for several days.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov mentioned to journalists on Wednesday that the Russian officials also required time to consider the memoranda.

“It is evident that this will take some time,” Peskov remarked.

“As soon as both sides are prepared, they will set new dates for the next round of talks,” he continued.

Peskov indicated that predicting the date of the next discussions was challenging since the delegations were “evaluating suitable times” while establishing communication, as reported by the Kommersant business newspaper.

During a phone conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump on May 19, Russian President Vladimir Putin mentioned that Moscow and Kyiv were in the process of drafting a memorandum for a future peace agreement.

Russian state media released details of Moscow’s conditions, which include Ukraine’s withdrawal from four regions currently partially occupied by Russia. These terms are likely to be unacceptable to Ukraine and its Western allies because of their harsh nature.

In response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s insistence on resolving the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War II, delegates from both nations convened in Istanbul on May 16 for their first meeting since March 2022, just a month after Russia launched its full-scale invasion.