Putin open to high-level Ukraine talks, but Kremlin demands progress first

ISTANBUL

Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready for high-level negotiations on Ukraine, but a concrete outcome must first be achieved in direct talks between the delegations, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday, according to Russian state-run media.

“President Putin supports the possibility of a personal meeting with both (Ukrainian) President (Volodymyr) Zelenskyy and (US) President (Donald) Trump, but such contacts require good preparation,” Peskov told reporters, quoted by Russian state-run media RIA Novosti​​​​​​​.

He noted that the Kremlin expects the Russian and Ukrainian draft memoranda to be discussed during the second round of talks in Istanbul and said the details of Russia’s proposal would not be made public at this stage.

On broader security issues, Peskov emphasized that “the future of European security must be discussed with Europeans,” while the Istanbul talks will be limited to bilateral negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.

He also said that Moscow appreciates signs that Washington is beginning to understand Russia’s concerns over NATO expansion, particularly in its role as a mediator.

The second round of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine is expected to take place in Istanbul on June 2, following earlier talks that included a prisoner swap and initial discussion of ceasefire proposals.

On May 16, Russia and Ukraine held their first direct talks in three years in the Turkish metropolis, where the two sides notably agreed to a large-scale exchange of prisoners involving a total of 1,000 people from each side.​​​​​​​

Both sides, during the talks facilitated by Türkiye, also agreed to continue negotiations for a truce.