
Russia to join Istanbul peace talks without disclosing its ceasefire memorandum
According to Ukrinform, he said this to journalists, as reported by the BBC Russian service.
Peskov added that neither the Russian nor the Ukrainian version of the memorandum on a peaceful settlement will be made public.
"Clearly, nothing will be made public. This cannot be made public," Peskov said.
He expressed hope that both draft memorandums — Russian and Ukrainian — will be discussed during the second round of negotiations.
At the same time, Peskov did not answer the question of when Russia would hand over the document to Ukraine.
According to Russian media, the Kremlin Spokesperson also stated that if results are achieved in the direct negotiations between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations, "there could also be discussions of contacts at the highest level."
"President Putin has repeatedly said that, in principle, he is 'in favor' of high-level contacts. They are certainly necessary. But they must be well-prepared, and first, a result must be achieved in the negotiations between the delegations — in direct negotiations between the delegations of the two countries. After that, if and when such a result is achieved, then, of course, there can be talk of contacts at the highest level," Peskov said, commenting on the statement by Türkiye’s Foreign Ministry that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is ready to host the presidents of Russia, the U.S., and Ukraine.
As Ukrinform previously reported, on Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that Moscow proposed holding the second round of negotiations between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul on June 2.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha proposed that Russia immediately hand over its "memorandum" with ceasefire proposals to Ukraine, instead of waiting until Monday.
On Thursday, President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Russia had still not shared its memorandum with Ukraine and its partners.
At a joint press conference in Kyiv with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Friday, Sybiha said that Ukraine is interested in continuing peace talks in Istanbul. However, for the talks to be effective, the Russian side must provide its ceasefire "memorandum" in advance, in accordance with prior agreements.