Washington - Saba:
The Washington Post reported that the US side may pressure Ukraine and insist that its delegation participate in negotiations with Russia in Istanbul on June 2.
The newspaper indicated that Washington is insisting on the Kyiv regime's participation in these negotiations, even if Moscow does not first submit the memorandum demanded by Ukraine.
The newspaper considered that the "stalemate" the parties encountered when coordinating terms for a settlement to the Ukrainian conflict placed the Kyiv authorities in a "critical diplomatic position."
The newspaper stated that Ukraine "has little room for maneuver" due to its complete dependence on American military and intelligence assistance. Against this backdrop, Washington has an opportunity to pressure the Kyiv regime to force it to ignore its demands, which include insisting that Russia submit a memorandum of understanding before negotiations and an unconditional ceasefire. Consequently, the Kyiv regime must send its delegation to Istanbul on June 2.
Earlier, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustam Umarov, head of the Ukrainian delegation to the negotiations, announced that Kyiv "is not against" a meeting with the Russian side, but is awaiting a memorandum from Moscow before it can begin.
Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov described Ukraine's demand for "immediate delivery of the memorandum" as unconstructive. He emphasized that the most important thing now is to continue the direct negotiations process.
For its part, the Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed that there is no talk of mediation by Turkey or any other country in the Russia-Ukraine negotiations in Istanbul.
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