ABC News: US disappointed, but not surprised by Russia's conditions in Istanbul
U.S. officials are disappointed with the conditions Russia set during the Istanbul talks to establish a ceasefire, but not surprised. This was reported by the TV channel ABC News, citing unnamed interlocutors familiar with the matter.
After the talks, U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they were disappointed but not surprised by Moscow's substantial list of demands that must be met before it agrees to a 30-day truce.
The interlocutors noted that the so-called memorandum contains a number of points that both Ukraine and the administration of US President Donald Trump consider unacceptable, calling it a clear attempt by Moscow to postpone meaningful negotiations.
Even before the June 2 talks in Istanbul, President Trump's frustration with the lack of progress in the peace talks was growing. Officials familiar with his thinking say that while he has previously criticized both Ukraine and Russia, he has become increasingly distant in recent days .
Trump had previously threatened to impose new sanctions on Moscow, but after the second round of talks ended on Monday, there was no sign that the administration had taken any action to follow through on its threat, journalists said.
- On June 2, Istanbul hosted the second round of talks between Ukraine and Russia.
- The meeting managed to agree, among other things, on a new exchange of prisoners and bodies of fallen soldiers.
- On the same day, Russian propagandists published the so-called memorandum that Russia handed over to Ukraine during the talks.