1 week ago
5
KYIV, Ukraine -- Ukraine is acceptable to resume nonstop bid talks with Russia successful Istanbul connected Monday, a apical advisor to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, pursuing days of uncertainty implicit whether Kyiv would be a further gathering projected by Moscow.
But Ukrainian officials person insisted that the Kremlin supply a promised memorandum mounting retired its presumption connected ending the much than three-year war, earlier the 2 delegations beryllium down to negotiate.
“Ukraine is acceptable to be the adjacent meeting, but we privation to prosecute successful a constructive discussion,” Andrii Yermak said successful a connection connected the website of Ukraine’s Presidential Office precocious Thursday.
"This means it is important to person Russia’s draft. There is capable clip – 4 days are capable for preparing and sending the documents,” Yermak said.
Ukraine and its European allies person repeatedly accused the Kremlin of dragging its feet successful bid efforts, while it tries to property its bigger army’s battlefield initiative and seizure much Ukrainian land.
Kyiv’s Western partners, including the U.S., are urging Moscow to hold to an unconditional ceasefire, thing Kyiv has embraced while the Kremlin has held retired for presumption much to its liking.
Ukraine’s apical diplomat, Andrii Sybiha, besides told reporters connected Friday that Kyiv is waiting for Russia to clarify its proposals up of a adjacent circular of talks.
“We privation to extremity this warfare this year. We are funny successful establishing a ceasefire, whether it is for 30 days, 50 days, oregon 100 days. Ukraine is unfastened to discussing this straight with Russia,” Sybiha said astatine a associated quality league successful Kyiv with his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan.
Sybiha and Fidan besides held the doorway unfastened to a aboriginal gathering betwixt Presidents Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin of Russia, perchance besides including U.S. President Donald Trump. Fidan said the ongoing bid propulsion successful Istanbul could beryllium “crowned with” specified a meeting.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov connected Friday told reporters that a Russian delegation volition caput to Istanbul and basal acceptable to instrumentality portion successful the 2nd circular of talks connected June 2.
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov connected Wednesday publically invited Ukraine to clasp nonstop negotiations with Moscow connected that date. In a video statement, Lavrov said Russia would usage Monday’s gathering to present an outline of Moscow’s presumption connected “reliably overcoming” what it calls the basal causes of the war. Russian officials person said for weeks that specified a papers is forthcoming.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov connected Wednesday said that Ukraine isn’t opposed to further nonstop talks with Russia, but that they would beryllium “empty” if Moscow were to neglect to clarify its terms. Umerov said helium had personally handed a papers mounting retired Ukraine’s presumption to the Russian side.
Low-level delegations from Russia and Ukraine held their first nonstop bid talks successful 3 years successful Istanbul connected May 16. The talks, which lasted 2 hours, brought nary important breakthrough, though some sides agreed to the largest captive exchange of the war. It was carried retired past play and freed 1,000 captives connected each side.
Fidan connected Friday voiced a content that the palmy swap has “proved that negotiations tin output factual results.”
“There are 2 paths successful beforehand of us. Either we volition crook a unsighted oculus to the continuation of the war, oregon we volition scope a lasting bid wrong the extremity of the year,” helium told reporters successful Kyiv.
___
Associated Press writers Hanna Arhirova and Illia Novikov successful Kyiv, Ukraine, and Suzan Fraser successful Ankara, Turkey, contributed to this report.
___
Follow AP’s sum of the warfare successful Ukraine astatine https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
English (US) ·