“Unfortunately, Russia is doing everything it can to ensure that the next potential meeting brings no results,” he added, citing the lack of proposed terms from Russia.
Kyiv has said the reason Moscow hasn’t supplied the document is that it likely contains maximalist ultimatums that are red lines for Ukraine.
The two sides previously met in Istanbul on May 16 for their first direct talks in more than three years.
Ukraine expressed disappointment after the talks, with Zelenskyy saying it was a “sign of disrespect” that Russia had sent a junior delegation that was not authorised to sign a ceasefire.
Graham accused Putin of trying to drag out the ceasefire and peace process and added he doubts the Istanbul meeting will amount to more than a “Russian charade”.
Before dispatching a delegation to Istanbul for bilateral talks next week, Ukraine says it wants to see a document outlining Russia’s proposed terms for a ceasefire. The Kremlin stated that it anticipates the two sides discussing the terms of the truce during the scheduled meeting.
Following his meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on X that “a meeting must have a clear agenda and the negotiations must be properly prepared for it to be meaningful.”.
He went on to say, “Unfortunately, Russia is doing everything it can to ensure that the next potential meeting brings no results,” referring to the absence of any terms that Russia had offered.
Moscow has not provided the document, according to Kyiv, because it probably includes maximalist demands that are unacceptable to Ukraine.
At an earlier news conference in Kyiv on Friday, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said his side needed reassurances that the Kremlin was sincere about wanting to end the war, but he did not confirm that Ukraine would participate in the June 2 talks that Russia has proposed.
According to him, “it is crucial to receive a document beforehand so that the delegation that will attend has the authority to discuss the relevant positions in order for the next planned meeting to be substantive and meaningful.”.
He claimed that as of yet, Ukraine had not received any such document detailing Russia’s proposals.
For their first direct discussions in over three years, the two parties met in Istanbul on May 16. The ceasefire negotiations failed to produce a breakthrough and ended in less than two hours. The parties did agree to trade documents detailing potential peace roadmaps and to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war each, which eventually happened.
Following the negotiations, Zelenskyy said that Russia’s sending a junior delegation without the necessary authority to sign a ceasefire was a “sign of disrespect” and that Ukraine was disappointed.
On Thursday, Heorhii Tykhyi, a spokesman for Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry, stated on X that Russia’s delayed release of its ceasefire proposal indicated that it was “probably full of unrealistic ultimatums.”.
Speaking with the visiting Fidan at the news conference on Friday, Sybiha stated that Kyiv wanted the war to end.
He stated, “We are interested in establishing a truce, whether it be for 30 days, 50 days, or 100 days, because we want to end this war this year.”.
“Ukraine is willing to speak with Russia directly about this. We verified this at our delegations’ most recent meeting with the Russian side. “”.
Turkiye suggests a summit of leaders.
Fidan proposed that, should the negotiations proceed, Zelenskyy, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and US President Donald Trump could meet next week under the guidance of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Any such meeting could only happen if the bilateral talks produced results, according to Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov.
The proposals for an agreement from both parties would be discussed in Istanbul, he said, and the specifics would not be disclosed to the public.
According to the Turkish presidency, Erdogan reaffirmed in a call to Zelenskyy that both nations must send powerful delegations to Istanbul and that a second round of negotiations could open the door to peace.
US Senator Lindsey Graham, a Trump ally, stated during a visit to Kyiv on Friday that the Republican-led US Senate is anticipated to proceed with a bill on sanctions against Russia the following week.
Graham, who met Zelenskyy during his trip to Kyiv, claimed to have spoken with Trump prior to his visit and that the US president now anticipates decisive action from Moscow.
Graham said he doesn’t think the Istanbul meeting will be more than a “Russian charade” and accused Putin of attempting to prolong the ceasefire and peace process.
