The Albany Gazette - Ukraine says Russia withholding peace terms to undermine talks

Diplomatic efforts to end the war have accelerated in recent weeks, with both sides meeting for their first round of direct talks in more than three years earlier this month.

Moscow said it was sending a team of negotiators to Istanbul for a second round on Monday, but Kyiv has yet to confirm if it will attend.

"For over a week now, the Russians have been unable to present the so-called memorandum," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a post on X, referring to a document Russia says it has prepared outlining its conditions for peace.

"For a meeting to be meaningful, its agenda must be clear, and the negotiations must be properly prepared," he added.

"Unfortunately, Russia is doing everything it can to ensure that the next potential meeting brings no results."

Russia says it will provide the memorandum at the talks in person on Monday.

But Ukraine suspects it will contain unrealistic and maximalist demands that Kyiv has already rejected, including that Ukraine cede territory still under its control.

Russia's invasion in February 2022 triggered the biggest European conflict since World War II.

Tens of thousands have been killed, swathes of eastern and southern Ukraine destroyed and millions forced to flee their homes.

- 'Root causes' -

At talks in Istanbul on May 16, the two sides agreed to swap documents outlining possible roadmaps to peace.

But Russia has for more than two months rejected calls for a full, unconditional and immediate 30-day ceasefire -- an idea first proposed by US President Donald Trump.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that a ceasefire is possible as a result of negotiations, but that talks should focus on the "root causes" of the war.

Moscow typically uses that language to refer to a mix of sweeping demands that have at times included limiting Ukraine's military, banning the country from joining NATO, massive territorial concessions and the toppling of Zelensky.

Kyiv and the West have rejected those calls and cast Russia's assault as nothing but an imperial-style land grab.

Trump has been growing increasingly frustrated at both Zelensky and Putin for not having struck a deal yet.

At a UN Security Council meeting Thursday, a US diplomat reaffirmed that Washington could pull back from peace efforts if it does not see progress soon.

- 'Disregard for diplomacy' -

Turkey on Friday proposed hosting a summit with Trump, Putin and Zelensky, but the Kremlin swiftly turned down the invitation.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has fostered warm relations with both Zelensky and Putin, has become a key mediator amid efforts to end the conflict.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan paid a visit to Kyiv on Friday.

Despite this month's direct talks between Moscow and Kyiv, there has been little sign of movement towards a possible compromise agreement.

At the May 16 talks, Ukraine said Russia threatened to accelerate its ground offensive into new regions and made a host of maximalist demands, including that Kyiv give up territory it still controls.

Along with its European allies, Ukraine has been ramping up pressure on Trump to hit Moscow with fresh sanctions -- a step he has so far not taken.

"Talks of pauses in pressure or easing of sanctions are perceived in Moscow as a political victory –- and only encourage further attacks and continued disregard for diplomacy," Zelensky said Friday on social media.

Russia has meanwhile been pressing its advance on the battlefield, with its forces on Friday claiming to have captured another village in the northeastern Kharkiv region.

(F.Jackson--TAG)