Moscow says 'ready' for 2nd round of Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Istanbul on Monday

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Wednesday that Russia has proposed holding the second round of direct negotiations with Ukraine on June 2 in Istanbul, Russian state-run news media TASS reported.

"With the support of the United States, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye, it was possible to create conditions for the resumption of direct Russian-Ukrainian negotiations," Lavrov said in a written statement.

He recalled that the first round of talks took place on May 16 in Istanbul, resulting in a prisoner exchange of 1,000 people from each side. The parties also agreed to prepare position documents toward a sustainable settlement.

He said: "The Russian side, as agreed, promptly developed a memorandum that sets out our position on all aspects of reliably overcoming the root causes of the crisis.

"Our delegation, headed by Vladimir Medinsky, is ready to present this memorandum to the Ukrainian delegation and provide the necessary explanations during the second round in Istanbul next Monday, June 2."

Lavrov expressed gratitude to Türkiye for facilitating the talks. "As Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan confirmed during his visit to Moscow yesterday, I would like once again to thank our Turkish partners for providing a hospitable Turkish platform," he said.

He called on all those "who are sincerely, and not just in words, interested in the success of the peace process" to support the proposed meeting in Istanbul.

The Ukrainian side has not yet responded to Russia's offer for the next round of negotiations.