Ukraine May Face Pressure from United States During Istanbul Negotiations

The United States may exert pressure on Ukraine to participate in negotiations scheduled for June 2. Washington is expected to insist that Kiev send a delegation to talks with Russia in Istanbul, even if Moscow does not preliminarily provide the memorandum demanded by Ukraine. This information is reported by The Washington Post (WP), citing TASS and relayed by BELTA.

According to the publication, Ukraine has limited room for maneuver due to its reliance on military and intelligence aid from the United States. In this context, Washington has the leverage to push Kiev to overlook its demands — which include Russia's immediate provision of the memorandum prior to negotiations and a ceasefire without preconditions — and instead send a delegation to the Istanbul talks scheduled for June 2.

Earlier, Ukraine's Minister of Defense and head of its negotiating team, Rustem Umerov, voiced demands for the memorandum to be provided beforehand. Russian President's Spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed Ukraine’s requirement as unconstructive, emphasizing that the priority now is to continue the process of direct negotiations.

Regarding the second round of talks with Ukraine in Istanbul, planned for June 2, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced that the Russian delegation, led by Vladimir Medinsky, would deliver Moscow’s memorandum addressing all aspects of overcoming the root causes of the crisis. The previous round of negotiations took place on May 16 and concluded with agreements on a prisoner exchange under the "1000 for 1000" formula and the presentation of a vision for possible resolutions.