The Russian Foreign Ministry announced on Wednesday that Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov spoke with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio about preparing "concrete proposals" for a new round of direct talks with Kyiv.
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In a statement published on the ministry’s website, it said, “Lavrov spoke with Rubio about the implementation of agreements made between the Russian and American presidents during their phone call a week ago, and about Russia’s preparation of concrete proposals for the next round of direct Russian-Ukrainian talks in Istanbul.”
Lavrov previously stated, “Russia is proposing to hold the next round of direct talks in Istanbul on June 2nd, with the aim of achieving a sustainable peaceful settlement.”
During the joint call with Rubio, Lavrov affirmed the shared intention to continue constructive dialogue between the Russian and American diplomatic corps. The two also discussed current issues on the bilateral agenda.
Earlier on Wednesday, Moscow proposed holding a new round of direct talks with Kyiv in Istanbul on the upcoming Monday, to present a draft “memorandum” of peace that outlines its conditions for ending the war.
Ukraine responded by saying it needs to review Russia’s conditions in advance to ensure the meeting yields meaningful results.
Russia noted that its Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov briefed his American counterpart Marco Rubio on the ongoing preparations in this regard.
In a statement, Lavrov said, “Our delegation is ready to present this memorandum to the Ukrainian delegation and provide the necessary clarifications during the second round of direct negotiations in Istanbul on Monday, June 2nd.”
This diplomatic movement comes amid a recent escalation of large-scale aerial attacks exchanged between Ukraine and Russia in recent weeks.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump expressed “deep disappointment” over Russia’s bombing during ongoing negotiations but rejected calls to impose further sanctions on Moscow.
Trump said, “If I believe I’m close to reaching a deal, I don’t want to mess it up by doing that.”
Earlier Wednesday, the Kremlin rejected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s call for a trilateral summit with Presidents Trump and Putin.
Moscow stated that such a meeting would not take place unless “firm agreements” are reached first.
