Second round of Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul on Monday, but Zelensky is sceptical. Trump is optimistic

Moscow rejects the hypothesis of a trilateral Trump-Putin-Zelensky summit suggested by Kiev, but proposes a second round of direct negotiations with Ukraine for Monday, 2 June in Istanbul, an opportunity to present its memorandum on the peace process in Ukraine. Istanbul is becoming the main platform for negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, explained Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu , as reported by Interfax. "The Istanbul platform is becoming the main platform on a number of issues including the Black Sea initiative, the grain agreement and now the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations," Shoigu said in a meeting with the secretary general of Turkey's National Security Council, Okay Memis.

"Ready for the meeting, but the Russians give us the memorandum first," replied Ukrainian Defence Minister Umerov. But for Kremlin spokesman Peskov the Ukrainian demand to hand over the memorandum with Russian proposals before the new meeting is not constructive. Pesckov then recalled that Russia has not yet received an official response from Kiev to its proposal to hold a new round of direct talks in Istanbul.

The Trump administration is confident about the holding of the second round of direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine scheduled for next week in Istanbul and hopes that progress will be made to end the conflict, White House spokeswoman Karoline Laevitt said.

North Korea has shipped over 20,000 containers of military supplies to Russia since September 2023 in support of Moscow's war on Ukraine. According to the first report by the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team, a US-led initiative with 10 other countries (including Italy) to verify sanctions on Pyongyang, this is material 'to equip three full brigades'. Russia, in return, has given the North its Pantsir air defence system, electronic warfare jamming devices, and other support since late 2024, violating UN sanctions amid deepening ties between the two countries.

The day also saw an appeal by Turkish President Rep Tayyip Erdogan to Russia and Ukraine not to "close the door" to dialogue ahead of a meeting between officials from both sides in Istanbul. "We are saying" to Russia and Ukraine "not to close the door as long as it remains open," the Turkish leader told reporters accompanying him on his return from a visit to Azerbaijan on Wednesday, according to reports from the Turkish presidency. "We remain committed to peace and will continue our efforts. We are in contact with both Russia and Ukraine. We see the current momentum as an opportunity for lasting peace," Erdogan stressed upon returning from a visit to Azerbaijan, urging "not to waste" this opportunity and assuring that Turkey will use "all our diplomatic power and potential for peace." "Putting out this great fire in our region is both a humanitarian duty and in the interest of our country," Erdogan said, expressing the hope that, "thanks to the current peace efforts, the desired compromise can be reached."