Russia to send draft peace memorandum to Ukraine as soon as it's ready

ISTANBUL

Russia said on Tuesday that it will send Ukraine its draft of a peace memorandum as soon as it is prepared, expressing hope that Kyiv is conducting similar work on its part.

On May 19, US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin held an over two-hour phone call to discuss efforts to reach a ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine war, with Putin saying he conveyed during the call that Moscow will propose and is ready to work with Kyiv on a memorandum regarding a possible peace deal.

For his part, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the two countries can sign a memorandum that will include provisions for a ceasefire, noting its contents are still unknown, but that Kyiv will be able to formulate its vision on it once it receives Russia’s draft.

Speaking at a press briefing in the city of Makhachkala in the Russian Republic of Dagestan, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Moscow continues to develop its draft memorandum on a future peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.

Zakharova said the draft will define a number of positions, such as principles for a potential settlement, timeframes for the possible conclusion of a peace deal, and a potential ceasefire for a certain period of time in the event that “appropriate agreements are reached.”

“We expect that the Ukrainian side is conducting the same work and will send us its developments simultaneously with the receipt of the Russian document,” Zakharova further said.

She expressed that the process surrounding the agreements reached during the direct talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul earlier this month was “difficult” due to Kyiv’s position, accusing Zelenskyy of trying to hinder the “emerging peaceful progress.”

- Strategic stability

The Russian spokeswoman also commented on Trump's plan to establish a “Golden Dome” missile defense system, arguing that the project undermines strategic stability.

Last week, the US president announced he selected the "architecture" for his long-promised "Golden Dome" missile defense program, which he estimated will cost $175 billion during the next three years to create.

“This is an adventurous approach, it directly undermines the foundations of strategic stability,” Zakharova said, arguing that the situation is further aggravated by the project’s aim to bolster means to conduct military operations in space.

Zakharova further said that this turns space into an environment for the “deployment of weapons and an arena of armed confrontation.”

The perspectives of Russia and China on the issue and many other issues crucial to strategic stability either completely coincide or are highly similar, she noted, adding that resuming dialogue with the US on the matter is not yet possible because the conditions for it have not yet materialized.

Zakharova also reacted to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s remarks on Monday regarding the lifting of range restrictions on weapons supplied to Ukraine, saying Berlin will only “drive itself deeper into the hole in which the Kyiv regime it supports has long been.”

“It is doubtful that the head of the German government was or is authorized by anyone to make such statements on behalf of other countries. After all, he said that this decision was made by France, Great Britain, and the US,” Zakharova further said.

She additionally accused Merz of "playing with the fate of Europe, at the very least," as well as engaging in "self-promotion."

The German chancellor has not immediately commented on Zakharova's remarks.