Ukraine has announced that it is prepared to attend further talks with Russia in Istanbul next week but again demanded that Moscow provide a document setting out its conditions for peace.
"Ukraine is ready to attend the next meeting, but we want to engage in a constructive discussion. This means it is important to receive Russia's draft," said Andriy Yermak, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's chief of staff.
It was not immediately clear whether the statement constituted an official condition for Ukraine's attendance.
The call came as the United Nations warned that hopes for peace in the three-year-old war were "barely" alive, and the United States reiterated that it may withdraw from mediation efforts and impose further sanctions on Russia.
Ukraine's statement published on Thursday followed Russian claims that it was still awaiting confirmation from Kiev regarding participation in a new round of talks in Istanbul on Monday.
Diplomatic efforts have accelerated in recent months, but Russia has continued its heavy bombardment of Ukrainian territory and rejected calls for an immediate ceasefire.
Moscow has offered to hold a second round of direct talks in Istanbul on June 2, where it said it would present a "memorandum" outlining its terms for a long-term peace settlement.
However, Ukraine has maintained that the meeting would be pointless unless it receives a copy of the memorandum in advance.
Responding to the demand, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Ukraine's insistence on seeing the document ahead of the talks was "non-constructive".
Ukraine, in turn, said it had already submitted its own peace framework and expected Moscow to do the same.
"Russia is doing everything they can to make the meetings empty," Zelenskyy said. "And this is another reason why there must be sufficient sanctions, sufficient pressure on Russia."
Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Georgiy Tykhy suggested Moscow's refusal to share its document "suggests that it is likely filled with unrealistic ultimatums."
Türkiye facilitated the first direct Russia-Ukraine talks in three years on May 16 in Istanbul, where both sides agreed to a large-scale prisoner swap involving 1,000 people each.
Erdogan says do not 'shut the door'
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is expected to host the next round of talks, urged both sides not to "shut the door" on dialogue.
The last direct talks, held in Istanbul on 16 May, led only to a prisoner exchange and vague pledges to remain in contact.
Russia said it planned to send the same delegation as before, led by Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky, according to Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova.
Following the May talks, Ukraine accused Moscow of making unrealistic demands, including calls for territorial concessions in areas still under Ukrainian control.
Meanwhile, the United States told the United Nations Security Council on Thursday that its proposal for a ceasefire in Ukraine was "Russia's best possible outcome" and President Vladimir Putin should take the deal.
The US wants Russia to agree to a comprehensive 30-day land, air, sea and critical infrastructure ceasefire.
"We want to work with Russia, including on this peace initiative and an economic package. There is no military solution to this conflict," Acting Deputy US Ambassador John Kelley told the Security Council.
"The deal on offer now is Russia's best possible outcome. President Putin should take the deal."
Civilian deaths in Ukraine jump
The UN's top officials meanwhile warned of a dramatic rise in civilian casualties in Ukraine this year, calling for an immediate ceasefire and urgent humanitarian assistance amid the escalating conflict.
"In total, since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, at least 13,279 civilians, including 707 children, have been killed. The confirmed number of civilians injured stands at 32,449, including 2,068 children," Rosemary DiCarlo told a Security Council session on Ukraine.
Noting that 2025 has been particularly deadly, she said: "Civilian deaths in the first quarter of this year are 59% higher than in the same period of 2024."
