The delegation, led by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, will be the same as during the opening session, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said
Vladimir Medinsky, the head of Russia’s negotiating delegation in Istanbul. © Sputnik/Ramil Sitdikov
Russia’s negotiating team for the next round of direct peace talks with Ukraine will remain unchanged, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday. Presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky will once again lead the delegation.
Moscow and Kiev last met for direct talks in Istanbul on May 16, marking the first formal negotiations since 2022. That round resulted in the largest prisoner exchange to date, with 1,000 individuals released by each side. The parties also agreed to prepare written proposals—a pair of memorandums—outlining their positions on a potential ceasefire ahead of the next meeting.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has proposed holding the follow-up talks on Monday, June 2, again in Istanbul. Zakharova later confirmed that the same Russian delegation will attend.
Her comments came after Medinsky, denied Ukrainian claims that Moscow is stalling the peace process. In a post on Telegram on Wednesday, he said he had called Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, who leads Kiev’s negotiation team, and proposed “a date and location for the exchange of memorandums.”
“We are ready to begin substantive discussions on a framework agreement for a potential ceasefire,” the Russian official stated.
On Wednesday evening, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov confirmed that Moscow’s memorandum is ready, triggering a demand from Kiev that the document be released.
In a post on X Umerov stated that he had “handed over our document to the head of the Russian delegation, which reflects the Ukrainian position.”
“We are not opposed to further meetings with the Russians and are awaiting their ‘memorandum,’ so that the next meeting won’t be empty and can truly move us closer to ending the war,” Kiev’s top negotiator added.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Thursday dismissed Umerov’s demands to see the Russian memorandum prior to any forthcoming talks as “unconstructive.”
“They should either confirm they are prepared for talks or say otherwise,” Peskov said.
The Ukrainian leadership had previously insisted on a 30-day pause in hostilities as a precondition for negotiations. Russia rejected the proposal, arguing that Kiev would use it to regroup its military. Ukraine later revised its position under pressure from US President Donald Trump.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly stated that for a full ceasefire to be achieved, Ukraine must halt its mobilization, stop receiving foreign weapons, and withdraw its forces from the territory Moscow claims.