Reuters: Ukrainian delegation to present roadmap at talks with Russia in Istanbul

The Ukrainian side will present the Russians with a roadmap for achieving sustainable peace at the talks on June 2 in Istanbul.

This was reported by Reuters, which reviewed a copy of the document.

According to the agency, Kyiv will demand a complete ceasefire for 30 days, after which the exchange of all prisoners of war from both sides and the return of Ukrainian children illegally taken to the Russian Federation.

The next stage in the roadmap is a meeting between President Volodymyr Zelensky and Putin. According to the plan, Moscow and Kyiv, with the participation of the United States and Europe, are to work on agreeing on the terms of ending the war.

Earlier this week, Ukrainian officials said they had sent the plan to the Russian side in advance. Kyivʼs main conditions are broadly consistent with those it has put forward before, Reuters writes. The plan does not include:

• no restrictions on the Ukrainian army after the conclusion of a peace agreement;
• international recognition of Russian sovereignty over the occupied territories.

The document demands that Russia pay reparations to Ukraine. It also states that the current front line will be the starting point for negotiations on territories. These terms differ significantly from the demands that the Kremlin has publicly put forward in recent weeks, Reuters adds.

What preceded

On May 16, the first direct talks between Ukraine and Russia since 2022 were held in Istanbul. The meeting lasted a little over an hour. According to journalists, Russia demanded the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from a number of territories to ensure a ceasefire and threatened to occupy the Kharkiv and Sumy regions.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov reported that at the meeting, the Ukrainian and Russian sides discussed a prisoner exchange in the "1000 for 1000" format and a ceasefire. The parties reached an agreement on the exchange — three prisoner exchanges in this format have already taken place.

On May 19, Trump spoke with Putin, as well as with Zelensky and a number of European leaders. Putin said after the conversation that he was ready to work on a memorandum with Ukraine that includes a ceasefire. Trump says that Russia and Ukraine “will immediately begin negotiations on a ceasefire and, more importantly, an end to the war”.

The WP newspaper wrote that the US may pressure Ukraine to participate in the talks on June 2, even if Moscow does not provide a memorandum with its conditions for achieving peace. This is what Kyiv is demanding.

• On Sunday, June 1, Volodymyr Zelensky reported that the Ukrainian delegation at negotiations with Russia in Istanbul, Turkey, will be led by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.

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