Negotiation regression: the Russian Foreign Ministry does not see Ukraine's desire for peace

Ukraine's actions do not indicate a real desire for peace and honest negotiations, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told Izvestia. In particular, Kiev does not abandon terrorist actions on the territory of Russia. In addition, the agreements reached in Istanbul are not fully implemented. Trailers with frozen bodies of Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers have been waiting at the border for several days now — Kiev is in no hurry to pick them up. At the same time, two prisoner exchanges were carried out — Belarus provided mediation. On June 10, Sergey Lavrov discussed the Ukrainian crisis with his counterpart Maxim Ryzhenkov. Minsk could potentially become a platform for a Russian-Ukrainian settlement again. There is no date for the next round of negotiations, but experts believe that, despite Kiev's provocations, it will take place.

Belarus is ready to provide a platform for negotiations again

On June 10, Sergey Lavrov received Maxim Ryzhenkov during his first official visit to Russia in the status of Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus. The Foreign Ministers of the two countries discussed topical issues on the bilateral and international agenda, with the Ukrainian crisis becoming a key topic. By the way, on June 9, it was on the territory of Belarus that Russia and Ukraine exchanged prisoners of war under the age of 25. On June 10, the Russian Federation returned a second group of our servicemen from captivity, and in return, captured soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were transferred to Ukraine, although this is only part of the agreements reached in Istanbul on June 2.

Belarus provides significant assistance in the implementation of the Russian-Ukrainian agreements. But there are still questions about Ukraine's willingness to continue dialogue with Russia.

— What kind of readiness for dialogue can we talk about if every effort is being made to avoid a substantive dialogue and create obstacles? There is no other way to assess the terrorist attacks that were launched two days before the start of negotiations (the next round was held on June 2. Well, plus, what the Kiev regime is doing on the external circuit is endless demands for the West to provide ever—increasing military assistance and supply more and more long-range deadly weapons. This obviously does not indicate a real desire for peace and honest negotiations," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told Izvestia.

It is unknown whether Minsk can assist in other aspects of the Ukrainian settlement, but at least Belarus is ready to become a platform for negotiations again. The day before, Ryzhenkov, in an interview with Russian journalists, recalled that his country had already offered its territory. According to him, Minsk proceeds from the assumption that when resolving the conflict between states that have so many and long-standing ties, the Belarusian territory "will be a favorable background for resolving such issues."

Moscow is grateful to Minsk for its willingness to provide mediation services in a peaceful settlement and, if necessary, to provide its territory for meetings of the delegations of the Russian Federation and Ukraine. This was stated by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov after a meeting with his Belarusian counterpart. "We are grateful to our Belarusian friends for their support and understanding of all aspects related to the causes and progress of the special military operation, and for understanding our clear approaches to a peaceful settlement," the minister said.

Supreme sabotage: what awaits the negotiations after Ukraine's demarche

And what kind of reaction is Kiev seeking from Moscow through provocations?

Minsk is an ideal platform for continuing the negotiation process, Oleg Gaidukevich, deputy chairman of the International Affairs Commission of the Parliament of Belarus, told Izvestia, since no one is more interested in ending the conflict than Russia and Belarus. As for Ukraine, there is a positive attitude towards Belarus at the level of ordinary citizens, including among refugees permanently residing in the territory of this republic, Gaidukevich noted. The decision of the political elite of Ukraine on whether to accept the proposal to continue negotiations in Minsk depends largely on orders from London and Brussels, the politician believes. Belarus already has extensive experience in conducting Russian-Ukrainian negotiations. In 2014-2015, the Minsk Agreements were signed in its capital, which consolidated the main measures to resolve the situation in Donbas.

In 2022, Russia and Ukraine held three face-to-face meetings in Belarus. The first round of negotiations took place a few days after the conflict began. On February 28, the delegations met in the Gomel region, and Russia then put forward four demands — the non-aligned status of Ukraine, recognition of the DPR and LPR within the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, denazification and demilitarization of Ukraine, and recognition of Crimea as Russian. Kiev had two demands — the cessation of the denazification and demilitarization operations and the withdrawal of Russian troops. The second and third rounds were held on March 3 and March 7 in Belovezhskaya Pushcha. The negotiations continued in Istanbul.

The course of the peace talks between Russia and Ukraine

In 2025, the second round of Russian-Ukrainian negotiations was held in Turkey on June 2. At the same time, the parties agreed, among other things, to exchange prisoners of war up to 25 years old, as well as to transfer the bodies of soldiers — it was about 6 thousand Ukrainian soldiers. On June 7, Kiev postponed this procedure indefinitely, said Vladimir Medinsky, assistant to the President of the Russian Federation and head of the Russian delegation. Obviously, the agreements are only partially implemented. On June 10, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that trailers with bodies had been parked at the border for several days.

During the last meeting, the parties also exchanged memoranda with a vision of conflict resolution. The Russian version of the document contains a clause on the international legal recognition of Crimea, the LPR, the DPR, the Zaporizhia and Kherson regions as part of the Russian Federation, as well as on the withdrawal of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from there. Moscow also insists on securing a neutral status for Ukraine and its refusal to join military alliances and coalitions, in addition to banning the deployment of foreign troops and bases on the territory of this country. In the Ukrainian version of the memorandum, Kiev has consolidated its refusal not to join the EU and NATO. Ukraine also insists on a 30-day truce with the possibility of extending it, as well as that military personnel from the United States and third countries should monitor its implementation. Kiev is ready to discuss territorial issues only after a complete ceasefire.

The Ukrainian delegation at the talks is not authorized to discuss issues of sovereignty and territorial integrity, Volodymyr Zelensky said on June 10. According to him, the negotiators can only touch on humanitarian issues. At the same time, he is ready to discuss territorial issues with Vladimir Putin. So far, Kiev has proposed to hold the next meeting in the period from June 20 to June 30.

— If the Ukrainian side could make such a decision on its own, it would abandon these negotiations, because it is obvious that the Kiev regime and Zelensky are interested in continuing the conflict, and not at all in negotiations. Given their rhetoric, their provocations, including sabotage and terrorist activity, they are trying with all their might to influence the negotiations, cancel them, postpone them, make them impossible, and so on," said political analyst Alexander Asafov.

Arrogance on nerves: Zelensky refuses to take the memorandum of the Russian Federation seriously

The Ukrainian leader called further meetings with Russia in Istanbul meaningless.

According to the expert, the decision to continue the dialogue is somehow made not in Kiev, but with an eye on the United States and Europe.

— I think that, despite the past events, the next round will take place. The question of time, of course, is open. As for the site, it is highly likely that it could be Turkey again. But given the failure of previous agreements, of course, there may be certain time shifts," the expert says.

Earlier, the Kremlin said that, despite the change in the vision of Kiev's essence "after the attacks on trains," Russia is ready to continue dialogue with Ukraine. On the night of June 1, a road bridge collapsed in the Vygonichsky district of the Bryansk region, the fragments of which fell on passenger train No. 86 Klimov – Moscow passing under it, the locomotive and the wagons derailed. At about the same time, on the 48th km of the Trosna -Kalinovka highway in the Zheleznogorsk district of the Kursk region, a bridge collapsed while a freight locomotive was traveling along it. On June 3, the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation officially described the bombings of the railway infrastructure in the Bryansk and Kursk regions as terrorist attacks. In addition, over the past week, Kiev has also targeted civilian enterprises in the Bryansk, Tambov, and Tula regions.