Reuters
Ukraine wants to see a document setting out Russia's proposals for a peace deal before it sends a delegation to Istanbul for bilateral talks, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on Friday.
Russia has proposed that negotiators from the two sides meet in Istanbul on June 2, but Kyiv has said it needs reassurances that Moscow is sincere about wanting to end the war.
Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago, made the proposal after U.S. President Donald Trump urged Moscow and Kyiv to work together on a peace deal.
Expectations for the talks are modest because the positions staked out so far by the two sides are far apart and work between them has yet to begin in earnest on narrowing the gap.
At a joint news conference in Kyiv on Friday with visiting Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Sybiha stopped short of confirming that Ukraine would take part in the Istanbul talks.
"In order for the next planned meeting to be substantive and meaningful, it is important to receive a document in advance so that the delegation that will attend has the authority to discuss the relevant positions," Sybiha said.
He said that, to date, Ukraine had not received the memorandum it was expecting from Russian negotiators containing their proposals for discussion in Istanbul.
Sybiha did not spell out what Kyiv would do if it did not receive the Russian document, or set out a deadline for receiving it.
"We want to end this war this year, and we are interested in establishing a truce, whether it is for 30 days, or for 50 days, or for 100 days," Sybiha said.
"Ukraine is open to discussing this directly with Russia. We confirmed this during the last meeting of our delegations with the Russian side."
Russia has proposed that negotiators from the two sides meet in Istanbul on June 2, but Kyiv has said it needs reassurances that Moscow is sincere about wanting to end the war.
Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago, made the proposal after U.S. President Donald Trump urged Moscow and Kyiv to work together on a peace deal.
Expectations for the talks are modest because the positions staked out so far by the two sides are far apart and work between them has yet to begin in earnest on narrowing the gap.
At a joint news conference in Kyiv on Friday with visiting Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Sybiha stopped short of confirming that Ukraine would take part in the Istanbul talks.
"In order for the next planned meeting to be substantive and meaningful, it is important to receive a document in advance so that the delegation that will attend has the authority to discuss the relevant positions," Sybiha said.
He said that, to date, Ukraine had not received the memorandum it was expecting from Russian negotiators containing their proposals for discussion in Istanbul.
Sybiha did not spell out what Kyiv would do if it did not receive the Russian document, or set out a deadline for receiving it.
"We want to end this war this year, and we are interested in establishing a truce, whether it is for 30 days, or for 50 days, or for 100 days," Sybiha said.
"Ukraine is open to discussing this directly with Russia. We confirmed this during the last meeting of our delegations with the Russian side."
