Kremlin says work is continuing on Russian draft of peace memorandum
Serious work on Russia’s proposal for a possible peace deal for the Ukraine war is ongoing and a draft has not yet been submitted, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.
In a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia and Ukraine would work on a memorandum relating to a peace accord, prompting new accusations from Kyiv and European governments that Moscow was stalling and had no serious interest in peace.
Russia has rejected such accusations and insists that it has no interest in delaying the peace process.
“The Russian draft of the memorandum has not yet been submitted,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. “Work is continuing. This is a serious draft, a draft of a serious document that demands careful checks and preparation.”
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday that Moscow would be ready to hand Kyiv a draft document outlining conditions for a long-term peace accord once a prisoner exchange agreed at talks in Istanbul was completed.
That swap, which saw both Russia and Ukraine hand over 1,000 people, was completed on Sunday, Russia’s defence ministry said.
Peskov said work towards a peace deal would continue based upon agreements reached in Istanbul, with the prisoner exchange as the first stage.
In this regard, the Kremlin also announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to meet with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Monday, during which Ukraine will be discussed.
Asked about Trump’s specific remarks about Putin being “crazy”, the Kremlin responded by thanking the U.S. people and Trump in person for their assistance in launching peace negotiations but suggested Trump and others might be emotionally overloaded.
“This is a very crucial moment, which is associated, of course, with the emotional overload of everyone absolutely and with emotional reactions,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
On Sunday, U.S. President Donald Trump said Vladimir Putin had “gone absolutely CRAZY” by unleashing the largest aerial attack of the war on Ukraine and said he was weighing new sanctions on Moscow.
The Kremlin says it is conducting what it calls a “special military operation” in Ukraine to protect Russia from NATO encroachment on its borders, while Ukraine says Russia launched an unprovoked war of aggression.
