In the Kremlin, the possibility of a quick or coordinated preparation of a ” Memorandum” with Ukraine has been officially denied, emphasizing that this process has no defined timelines and cannot occur in the near future
In a statement made by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, the consequences of a telephone conversation between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin were noted, during which topics related to future agreements with Ukraine were discussed, including possible documents concerning a ceasefire. Peskov assured that, at present, no arrangements have been made regarding the place and format of further contacts between Russia and Ukraine. He particularly emphasized that "no specific decisions have been made about where exactly cooperation with the Ukrainian side is ongoing," and added that the question of preparing any memorandums linked to a ceasefire "remains open." "There are no deadlines and there cannot be any. Of course, everyone is eager to do this as quickly as possible, but the truth lies in the details," Dmitry Peskov stated in his official position. These words add a nuance to the widespread media conjectures and speculation about potential quick breakthroughs in diplomatic negotiations, while also assuring that the official Kremlin has not yet settled on a clear scenario. The spokesperson also touched upon the fundamental reasons for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, once again raising the issue of Russia’s readiness to seek ways to resolve the conflict. "Everyone is interested in resolving the crisis as quickly as possible, and Russia, in particular, aims to eliminate the preconditions that led to the start of the war," Peskov added, emphasizing that diplomatic work continues, albeit without fixed timelines. In light of these new statements, Kyiv reported that Ukraine is considering the possibility of holding broad international negotiations involving delegations from Russia, the United States, representatives of the European Union, and the United Kingdom. This sounds like a search for potential platforms for dialogue, which had been discussed informally earlier. Recall that on the eve, May 19, following a two-hour telephone conversation between Trump and Putin, a statement was made that Ukraine and Russia would "immediately" begin negotiations on a ceasefire. Putin confirmed Russia’s readiness to work on a document that could include a ceasefire regime, and noted that contacts between representatives of both sides within the framework of meetings in Istanbul “resumed.” At the same time, sources reported that prior to this, Trump discussed the situation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for several minutes. Thus, the realities of diplomacy remain vague, and official and unofficial statements indicate that the process of seeking peace is likely to be long and fragile. The Kremlin emphasizes that, at the moment, there are no specific agreements concerning timelines and the format of potential deals, and that all responsibility for progress lies with the search for compromises and de-escalation through diplomatic steps, which are still under discussion.