Russia, Ukraine to hold next talks in Istanbul on June 2

Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said Wednesday that his country expects to receive a peace "memorandum" from Russia on June 2.

"We are not opposed to further meetings with the Russians and are awaiting their memorandum, so that the meeting won't be empty and can truly move us closer to ending the war," Umerov, who is the head of the Ukrainian delegation to the talks with Russia, wrote in a Facebook post.

"The Russian side has at least four more days before their departure to provide us with their document for review," he said.

Umerov noted that he has already handed over the document which reflects the Ukrainian position to the head of the Russian delegation Vladimir Medinsky.

Ukrainian and Russian delegations held negotiations in Türkiye's Istanbul on May 16, which marked the first direct talks between the countries since March 2022. 

Earlier on Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced that Russia has proposed holding the next round of direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on June 2 with a view to achieving a sustainable peace settlement.

"We hope that all those who are sincerely, and not just in words, interested in the success of the peace process will support holding a new round of direct Russian-Ukrainian negotiations in Istanbul," Lavrov said in a statement.

Shortly after the statement was released, Lavrov held a call with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to discuss Moscow's preparations for proposed direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul next Monday and the implementation of the May 19 agreements between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump.

Lavrov told Rubio that Moscow is finalizing proposals for the next round of direct negotiations with Kyiv.

Rubio, for his part, stressed Trump's commitment to swiftly ending the conflicts and said Washington is prepared to assist in bringing the sides closer together.

"The parties confirmed their mutual commitment to continuing a constructive and mutually respectful dialogue between the foreign policy departments of Russia and the United States," said the Russian Foreign Ministry.

(With input from agencies)