Russia-Ukraine negotiations: Expert exposes Moscow’s manipulations ahead of talks

According to Reiterovych, such behavior on Moscow’s part appears to be a deliberate attempt to buy time. He emphasized that interpreting Russia’s actions as stalling is entirely logical, since if the Russians insist on holding a meeting on June 2, the document should logically already be prepared. Therefore, Ukraine should receive it in advance, not an hour before the start of negotiations.

He stated that Kyiv has already submitted its version of the document, despite Russia’s claims that they have not received anything. The expert noted that this kind of behavior is a typical tactic used by Moscow, and when it comes to the question of who is not telling the truth, the answer, according to him, is obvious both to Ukraine and its international partners.

He also reminded that the Ukrainian version of the memorandum had earlier been submitted to the United States, which makes Russia’s denials seem baseless. Reiterovych added that even if the Kremlin does not like this, it is no reason to withhold their own document.

"The main thing now is that they at least send us the draft," the political analyst said. "Though I wouldn’t be surprised if the Russians pull a stunt. They might keep stalling for a bit longer and then suddenly release the document into the public space a day or two before the meeting. That’s also a possibility."

He does not rule out that Moscow may be deliberately delaying the submission of its draft in order to publish it publicly just a day or two before the negotiations, thus seizing the informational initiative. Despite earlier statements by Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov that the terms of the memorandum would not be disclosed through the media, Reiterovych believes Russia might still take that step and resort to manipulation.

In his opinion, if Kyiv does not receive the document, Ukraine should publicly announce its withdrawal from the planned meeting on the 2nd due to the absence of any substance for discussion.

"We’re not going to sit through a two-hour presentation by Medinsky," he stressed, adding that the delegation is not willing to waste time on propaganda speeches that lack any specifics.

He also suggested publicly announcing a deadline and addressing partners, particularly the United States.

"We could even 'send regards to Trump'—like, 'Volodya(Vladimir - ed.) from Moscow loves you, but he can’t even send the Ukrainians a document'," the political analyst added sarcastically.

In his view, if Russia genuinely intends to discuss terms, it must show at least minimal respect for the process and provide the document to both sides in advance. Otherwise, the negotiations become a theater of the absurd.

Russian memorandum and new negotiations

Following the talks in Istanbul, Russia announced that it is preparing its own memorandum, in which it plans to outline its vision for a ceasefire. According to the Russian side, this document is intended to serve as a foundation for a potential peace agreement.

On Wednesday, May 28, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that Moscow is proposing a second round of negotiations with Ukraine on June 2, once again in Istanbul. It is there that the Russians plan to present the aforementioned memorandum.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said that Ukraine has already sent its proposals to Moscow. Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha urged the Kremlin to immediately send the memorandum to Ukraine without waiting until Monday.

However, the Kremlin called Sybiha’s demand unconstructive and reiterated the importance of the negotiations.

More about Russia’s memorandum and what is known about the upcoming negotiations can be found in the RBC-Ukraine material.