Russian-Ukrainian conversations: Kremlin: Russian delegation travels to talks on Monday

Despite a previously missing promise from Kiev, the Russian government wants to send a delegation to talks about an end to the Ukraine War to Istanbul. “It will be ready for the continuation of negotiations from Monday morning, the second round of negotiations,” said Kreml spokesman Dmitri Peskow. He hoped that the memorands prepared by both sides would also be discussed there for an end of the war.

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrow announced the meeting on Wednesday for the coming Monday. The delegation should therefore remain unchanged and thus run by the presidential advisor and former Russian cultural minister Vladimir Medinski.

The head of the Ukrainian negotiation delegation Rustem Umjerow said that Kiev was not against a meeting, but wanted to see the Russian position paper beforehand. While the Ukraine has already handed over its Russia catalog of demand, the Kremlin has so far refused on the grounds that the proposals should not be discussed in advance.

The first round of the negotiations took place on May 16. Originally, the meeting had been scheduled a day earlier, but was then pushed for one day for numerous differences – for example to participate in Russia’s President Vladimir Putin. At that time, a large prisoner exchange was agreed. According to the original announcements from both camps, the second meeting should turn around a ceasefire.