- Russia and Ukraine exchange prisoners – The second round of direct peace talks between Russia and Ukraine ended without major progress and only with an agreement to exchange several prisoners of war, according to the BBC. Ukrainian negotiators stated that Russia once again rejected an „unconditional ceasefire” – a key request from Kyiv and its allies in Europe and the USA. Ukraine also handed over to Russia a list of hundreds of children that Kyiv claims were forcibly taken. The Russian team stated that they proposed a two to three-day ceasefire „in certain areas” along the vast front line, but did not provide further details. In Monday’s talks, held in the Turkish city of Istanbul and lasting just over an hour, the two sides agreed to exchange sick and severely injured prisoners of war, as well as those under 25 years old.
- Trump ready to meet Zelensky and Putin – American President Donald Trump has declared himself „ready” to meet with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Turkey, announced White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt on Monday, as reported by AFP. The American President „has already said that he is ready, if we get there, but he wants the two leaders and the two sides to come together around the negotiating table,” she told the press. She made these statements after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan once again proposed such a summit, following a second round of Russian-Ukrainian negotiations on Monday in Istanbul. Recep Tayyip Erdogan considered that holding „the meeting is a success in itself, after the events of yesterday (Sunday),” referring to the bold drone attack launched by Kyiv on Russian military airfields deep inside Russian territory.
- Zelensky is also ready – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Monday that Turkey intends to facilitate a meeting between the leaders of Russia and Ukraine either in Ankara or Istanbul. In a statement to reporters on the same day, Volodymyr Zelensky expressed his willingness to participate in such discussions. „I had a conversation with President Erdoğan of Turkey. And indeed, he sent me a signal, asking me what I would think about a meeting of the four leaders: himself, the President of the United States, Putin, and me. I told him that I support a meeting at the leader level because I have the impression that there will be no ceasefire without our meeting,” Zelensky said during a press conference, according to The Kyiv Independent.
- Medvedev claims Russia seeks victory in negotiations – Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, currently the Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of Russia, stated on Tuesday that his country’s goal in peace negotiations with Ukraine is to ensure a quick and complete victory, as reported by Reuters. „The discussions in Istanbul are not to reach a compromise peace on someone else’s delirious terms, but to ensure our quick victory and the complete destruction of the neo-Nazi regime in Kiev,” he claimed on Telegram, explaining that „this is what the Russian memorandum published yesterday (Monday – ed.) is about.” Responding to apparent Ukrainian strikes over the weekend on strategic Russian bomber bases, Medvedev threatened that Moscow will retaliate „inevitably.” „Our army is pushing forward and will continue to advance. Everything that needs to be blown up will be blown up, and those who need to be eliminated will be eliminated,” he added.
- Kremlin’s stance – Moscow announced on Tuesday that efforts to find a solution to end the war in Ukraine are „extremely complex,” and it would be wrong to expect quick decisions in this regard, as reported by Reuters and AFP. „The issue of settlement is extremely complex and involves numerous nuances,” stated the spokesman for the Russian presidency, Dmitry Peskov, reaffirming that Moscow would first like to „eliminate the deep-rooted causes of the conflict” in order to achieve peace with Ukraine. Peskov emphasized that the agreement reached on Monday in Istanbul by the Ukrainian and Russian delegations regarding the exchange of prisoners and the return of deceased soldiers’ bodies will be honored. He mentioned that Moscow and Washington have not reached an agreement on future meetings between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, but clarified that the Kremlin leader is ready for various high-level meetings if they are properly prepared. Peskov deemed it unlikely for Presidents Trump, Zelensky, and Putin to have joint discussions in this format in the near future.
Other relevant information
- Ukraine invited to NATO summit - Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Monday that Ukraine has been invited to the NATO summit in The Hague, scheduled to take place on June 24-25, as reported by Interfax-Ukraine. "We have been invited to the NATO summit. I think this is important," he added. The President did not specify how Ukraine will be represented at the NATO summit, but stated that Ukraine's Foreign Minister, Andrii Sîbiha, will discuss with his counterparts "about the configuration" of the delegation.
- Ukraine at risk of power shortage - Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Ukraine could face a gas shortage due to Russia's widespread attacks on Ukraine's gas infrastructure, as reported by Ukrainska Pravda. "There have been widespread attacks on gas storage facilities and production facilities. We have lost some of our capacities, which we are now gradually restoring," he said. Zelensky stated that Ukraine has already secured part of the needed gas volume, but approximately half of the required resource to fully cover its needs is still missing. "I agreed with the Energy Minister that we will look for opportunities to cover this deficit, which could occur if everything is not restored, if we cannot fully supply gas to our population," Zelensky stated. The President also mentioned the acquisition of gas worth around 1 billion euros and stated that he is discussing this issue with the Norwegian Prime Minister. Additionally, Ukraine may soon start importing gas through the trans-Balkan corridor, in addition to its current gas imports from Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia.
- Ukrainian delegation in the USA - Andrii Yermak, the head of the Presidential Office of Ukraine, leads a delegation of senior Ukrainian officials that arrived in Washington on Tuesday to discuss "support for the defense" of their country and economic matters, especially regarding strengthening sanctions against Moscow, announced the Ukrainian presidency, as reported by AFP. "Our program is (…) comprehensive. We plan to discuss support in defense matters and the situation on the battlefield, as well as the tightening of sanctions against Russia," announced Yermak on Telegram. The delegation in Washington also includes Ukrainian Economy Minister Yulia Sviridenko and officials from the Ministry of Defense," Yermak specified. They will meet with the "team of American President Donald Trump" and other political officials. Among the agenda items: the recent agreement with Washington on the exploitation of natural resources in Ukraine, as well as the "results" of the negotiations with Moscow on Monday.