Ukraine says it wants to see Russian proposals before agreeing to more peace talks

Ukraine says it wants to see a document setting out Russia’s proposals for a peace deal before it sends a delegation to Istanbul for bilateral talks.

Ukraine wants to see a document setting out Russia’s proposals for a peace deal before it sends a delegation to Istanbul for bilateral talks, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Friday.

Russia has proposed that negotiators from the two sides meet in Istanbul on June 2, but Kyiv has said it needs reassurances that Moscow is sincere about wanting to end the war.

Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago, made the proposal after U.S. President Donald Trump urged Moscow and Kyiv to work together on a peace deal.

Ukrainian rescuers extinguish a fire in a trolleybus depot following a Russian drone strike in Kharkiv on Friday.Sergey Bobok / AFP via Getty ImagesExpectations for the talks are modest because the positions staked out so far by the two sides are far apart and work between them has yet to begin in earnest on narrowing the gap.

At a joint news conference in Kyiv on Friday with visiting Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Sybiha stopped short of confirming that Ukraine would take part in the Istanbul talks.