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Mediator of the first stage: will Turkey remain a platform for dialogue between Russia and Ukraine
The memorandum on the settlement of the conflict with Ukraine should become a landmark document, which will clearly state the terms of the ceasefire. This was stated to Izvestia by Leonid Slutsky, head of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs. According to him, the Russian Federation strives to ensure that the document becomes the basis for sustainable peace. Grigory Karasin, Chairman of the Federation Council's International Affairs Committee, admits that Turkey will remain a negotiating platform for Russia and Ukraine. On May 27, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will meet with Sergey Lavrov in Moscow and discuss, among other things, the Ukrainian settlement. Earlier, Moscow and Kiev conducted a large-scale prisoner exchange, which the parties agreed on at talks in Istanbul on May 16. About how the dialogue between the Russian Federation and Ukraine is progressing and what position the European countries are taking today, see the Izvestia article.
The next round of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine
Russia is preparing for the next round of direct talks with Ukraine. One of the priorities is to prepare a memorandum on conflict resolution. According to Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation, Moscow has not yet handed over the draft document to Kiev, while work on it is underway. It is expected that the parties will exchange their best practices with each other.
Leonid Slutsky, head of the State Duma's International Affairs Committee, emphasizes that the work on the memorandum is coordinated and supervised personally by the Russian president.
— The memorandum will clearly state the terms of the ceasefire, and it will be a landmark document, similar to the one that was initialed and, unfortunately, then thrown into the basket, as Vladimir Vladimirovich [Putin] rightly noted, after our negotiations in 2022. I hope that the current document will really be the basis for a sustainable peace. At least we, Russia, are striving for this," the politician said in an interview with Izvestia.
In June 2023, Russian President Vladimir Putin, at a meeting with leaders and representatives of the African mission, demonstrated an initialed draft agreement with Ukraine, which was being prepared in March 2022 in Istanbul. It was called the Treaty on Permanent Neutrality and Guarantees of Ukraine's Security.
Paragraph 1 of its first article, in particular, stated that "Ukraine undertakes to maintain its permanent neutrality, which is proclaimed and enshrined in the Constitution of Ukraine."
Three years ago, Leonid Slutsky was one of the members of the Russian delegation at the talks with Ukraine in Istanbul.
Russian-Ukrainian contacts were resumed in mid-May 2025. Their interim result was the largest prisoner exchange under the "1000 to 1000" formula since the beginning of the SVR, which took place in three stages. On May 25, 303 Russian servicemen returned from Ukraine. In return, 303 prisoners of war of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were also transferred to Kiev.
On May 26, Vladimir Putin called President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko to express his great appreciation for the assistance in organizing the exchange of prisoners at the Novaya Guta border crossing in the Gomel region, the Kremlin said.
Grigory Karasin, Chairman of the Federation Council's International Affairs Committee, does not rule out that Turkey will remain a negotiating platform between Russia and Ukraine. Earlier, the Vatican and Switzerland were named among the contenders in the media.
— In the current situation, I would not deny anything. There are a lot of options, although Turkey (in particular, Istanbul) is one of the tested ones," the senator told Izvestia. — Turkey is a neighboring country, the level of trust is quite high. Why should we exclude Turkey?
However, the politician stressed that first of all it is necessary to talk not about the venue of the next meeting, but about the contractual capacity of the Ukrainian side.
— Unfortunately, this impression has not been formed so far, — said Grigory Karasin.
In recent weeks, Kiev has become much more likely to try to attack Russian territory with the help of drones, including outside the area of its military operations. On the night of May 26 alone, the air defense forces shot down 96 Ukrainian UAVs over the regions of the Russian Federation, including over the Tula and Orel regions, as well as in the Moscow region.
Turkey's role in the negotiations between Moscow and Kiev
Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the second round of talks between Moscow and Kiev would take place, which can already be considered a positive signal. However, there are no specifics about new meetings yet, the minister noted. At the same time, Turkey, apparently, still remains an intermediary between the Russian Federation and Ukraine. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan arrived in Moscow over the weekend. On May 26, the Minister met with the head of the Russian delegation at the talks with Ukraine, Assistant to the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Medinsky. Later that evening, he also met with Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin said.
On May 27, the minister's talks with Sergey Lavrov are scheduled to take place in the Russian capital. Although the main topic of the meeting will be the bilateral relations between Russia and Turkey, there will also be an "exchange of views on the Ukrainian issue," the Kremlin said.
— There is still no understanding on the continuation of the negotiation process and on the venue. We need to prepare for the next round, so it's too early to talk about it," Dmitry Peskov said, answering a question from Izvestia about Turkey's prospects as a negotiating platform.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
The Kremlin also expressed gratitude to Turkey for the ideal conditions that the state has provided for the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations.
Although Turkey cannot be considered a completely neutral party, since it provided military assistance to Ukraine and remains an active NATO country, Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan has close personal ties with both Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, emphasizes Murad Sadigzade, president of the Center for Middle East Studies and a visiting lecturer at the National Research University Higher School of Economics.
"Erdogan now has a fairly good relationship with Trump, and I think their interaction has allowed the United States to invite Turkey to organize negotiations," he told Izvestia. — On the other hand, it should be understood that Turkey, Russia and Ukraine are united by the Black Sea, trade and economic relations, and common security issues. Russia is one of Turkey's leading partners. Ankara is certainly dependent on Russian energy resources, Russia is actively investing in Turkey, and Turkish companies are doing well in Russia. From this point of view, the Turks understand that it is beneficial for them to cooperate with Russia and the conflict in Ukraine is not in their favor.
Germany lifted restrictions on long-range weapons
The negotiating spirit does not seem to be shared in the European Union. On May 26, the EU foreign ministers met in Brussels to discuss the prospects for assistance to Ukraine. To date, the total EU assistance since the beginning of the CBO has amounted to almost €150 billion, about a third of which is accounted for by military support.
"We will continue to provide political, financial, economic, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support to Ukraine and its people for as long as it takes," Anita Hipper, a representative of the EU Foreign Policy Service, told Izvestia.
In addition, the new German Chancellor Friedrich Merz unexpectedly announced the lifting of restrictions on strikes on the territory of the Russian Federation with long-range weapons.
"There are no longer any range restrictions for weapons supplied to Ukraine — neither from the British, nor from the French, nor from our side, nor from the Americans," he said, adding that now it is necessary to provide Kiev with such weapons.
Friedich Merz did not specify whether he was referring to Berlin's approval of the transfer of Taurus missiles to Ukraine, which are capable of hitting targets deep inside Russia. The decision of European countries to lift restrictions on the supply of long-range weapons to Kiev, if adopted, runs counter to the aspirations of the Russian Federation for a political settlement of the situation in Ukraine, Dmitry Peskov commented.
Interestingly, German Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil soon hastened to assure that Germany's policy regarding the range of German weapons that Ukraine could receive remained the same.
— If Ukraine receives the Taurus, it will be the longest-range weapon available to the Ukrainian Armed Forces today. However, the presence of German personnel may be required for its application. This is another indicator by which it will be possible to determine the fact of an impending or accomplished transfer," Tigran Meloyan, an analyst at the HSE Center for Mediterranean Studies, told Izvestia. — If Ukraine really launches a strike with Taurus missiles with the support of Germany on Russian territory, then a retaliatory strike from Moscow will not take long to wait.
In this case, the expert suggested, we may see the use of "Hazel" again. And, of course, he believes, all this may significantly complicate the direct negotiations between Moscow and Kiev, which began in Istanbul.
The analyst emphasizes that as a result, Russia may "take off the gloves" and abandon its own restrictions in Ukraine as a result of the dualism that arose from its intentions to support Donald Trump's aspirations for a cease-fire. For historical reasons, Russia will react much tougher and less tolerant to the actions of the Germans than to the bellicose rhetoric coming from Britain or France.
"But Moscow's reaction in this case should be as balanced as possible, since the enemy's actions may conceal the goal of provoking Russia to a harsh response, which will allow Trump to win over his European allies,— said Tigran Meloyan.
It remains unclear whether the actions of the European countries will disrupt the negotiation process. At the same time, according to Der Spiegel, Friedrich Merz will hold talks with Vladimir Zelensky in Berlin on May 28, at which he is expected to inform the Ukrainian president about plans for a new package of EU sanctions against Russia, as well as further military assistance.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
