Overview

• Foreign Minister Serguéi Lavrov said Russia’s delegation will deliver a detailed peace memorandum during direct talks in Istanbul on June 2, 2025.
• Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umérov confirmed Kyiv’s readiness to engage but requested the memorandum at least four days beforehand for thorough review.
• The first direct negotiations on May 16 ended without a ceasefire agreement but achieved a 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner exchange.
• Reported Russian terms include Ukraine’s permanent renunciation of NATO membership and ceding five annexed regions, conditions Kyiv deems unacceptable.
• The United States is mediating the process as tensions rise between Washington and Moscow, underscored by Dmitry Medvedev’s warning to former President Trump about the risk of a third world war.