Russia stalling, staging 'diplomatic show' in peace talks with Ukraine, Umerov says
Defense Minister Rustem Umerov on June 2 slammed Russia for only providing its memorandum of a peace proposal at talks earlier in the day, saying that “the Russians are once again stalling for time."
"(I)f this is just another attempt to buy time, then there should be one response: tougher international sanctions,” Umerov said in a post to Facebook.
“Our documents were submitted in advance. In contrast, the Russian ‘memorandum’ appeared only today — during the meeting itself. This created conditions that prevented the meeting from delivering the results needed to end the war,” he added.
Ukraine and Russia held another round of peace talks on June 2, after their first meeting in Istanbul on May 16. Both rounds of talks were largely inconclusive, with Russia reiterating its rejection of a ceasefire.
Umerov attended the peace negotiations in Istanbul on June 2, leading Ukraine’s 14-member delegation, which included several figures from Ukraine’s military, human rights, and legal sectors. Umerov also led Ukraine’s 12-member delegation on May 16.
“We conveyed the positions formulated by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. One of the key points — an unconditional ceasefire for at least 30 days. This has been our principle and the position of our partners for many months,” Umerov said.
Russia only proposed a temporary two- to three-day ceasefire in specific areas of the front line to allow for the retrieval of fallen soldiers' bodies.
“Russia rejects even the very idea of stopping the killings. That’s why we appeal to the world: pressure is needed for real peace, not for an imitation of negotiations,” Umerov said.
At the first round of peace talks, both sides agreed to a 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner exchange, which took place from May 23-25.
On June 2, Ukraine and Russia agreed to work on another prisoner exchange with up to 1,200 captives from each side.
Zelensky, later on June 2, criticized Russia’s proposal for a 2–3-day local ceasefire to retrieve the bodies of fallen soldiers, speaking during an online press conference attended by the Kyiv Independent.
The Kyiv IndependentChris York