Ukraine claims Russia's ‘unrealistic ultimatums’ behind delay in peace draft

Ukraine on Thursday accused Russia of deliberately stalling the peace process by withholding its draft memorandum for a settlement, claiming the document likely contains "unrealistic ultimatums."

"The Russians' fear of sending their 'memorandum' to Ukraine suggests that it is likely filled with unrealistic ultimatums, and they are afraid of revealing that they are stalling the peace process," Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi said on X.

"If not, they must pass the document immediately, as Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said, and stop playing these games, which only show that they probably want the next meeting to be empty," he added.

The second round of direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine is proposed for June 2 in Istanbul, following the May 16 meeting where both sides agreed on a prisoner exchange and the preparation of draft documents to advance peace efforts.

While Russia insists it will present the draft at the talks, the Ukrainian side has demanded the document be presented immediately. The Kremlin has termed Kyiv's demand as "unconstructive."