Russia announced Thursday it is still waiting for Ukraine’s response on attending peace talks in Istanbul scheduled for June 2. The Kremlin wants to present a formal “memorandum” during the meeting, outlining its terms for a potential long-term settlement of the war that began in February 2022. However, Ukraine has refused to attend unless it receives the document in advance — a demand Moscow has dismissed as “non-constructive.”
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, “As far as I know, no response has been received yet,” referring to Kyiv’s silence. Meanwhile, Ukraine insists it has already submitted its own peace proposals and is calling on Russia to do the same. Officials in Kyiv have accused Russia of deliberately stalling the process to buy time for further military gains.
At the same time, the conflict on the ground continues to intensify. Ukrainian authorities reported that Russia launched 90 drones overnight, killing at least five civilians in multiple regions, including Kherson, Mykolaiv, Sumy, and Donetsk. In the Sumy region, Russia is reportedly amassing over 50,000 troops, likely in an effort to push deeper into Ukrainian territory.
Turkey, which has hosted talks before, is playing a key diplomatic role again. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan urged both nations not to shut the door on dialogue. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who recently met with Putin in Moscow, is expected to travel to Kyiv to meet President Volodymyr Zelenskyy before Monday’s planned meeting.
International concern is growing. Former U.S. President Donald Trump, who is advocating for a peace deal, said he was “very disappointed” by Russia’s continued attacks and would decide within two weeks whether Moscow is serious about ending the war. Meanwhile, in a symbolic blow to Russia, a retired commander involved in air strikes on Mariupol died in a blast Thursday in southern Russia. Authorities have not ruled out Ukrainian involvement.