Trump says he is 'very disappointed' with Putin as Russia proposes more direct peace talks with Ukraine
28 May 2025, 20:27 | Updated: 28 May 2025, 22:56
US President Donald Trump has said he will soon know if Putin "is tapping us along or not" as Russia proposed holding the next round of direct peace talks with Ukraine.
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Trump said "We’ll find out whether or not he’s tapping us along or not and if he is, we’ll respond a little bit differently but it will take about a week and a half to two weeks."
“I can say this: I’m very disappointed at what happened a couple of nights now, where people were killed, in the middle of what you would call a negotiation."
He added later: “When I see rockets being shot into cities, that’s no good. We aren’t going to allow it.”
Trump has so far refrained from imposing sanctions on Russia but has warned his stance could change.
His comments came minutes after Russia's foreign minister announced that the Kremlin had offered Ukraine a second round of direct peace talks in Istanbul on June 2.
Russia has prepared a memorandum outlining their terms for a ceasefire which would be presented during the second round of talks, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in a written statement.
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The statement said Moscow and Kyiv had agreed in recent peace talks held in Istanbul on May 16 "to prepare documents setting out the parties' respective stances on achieving sustainable settlement."
Kyiv has said it is "not opposed" to the meetings, but called on Moscow to deliver their memorandum to Ukraine first.
Ukrainian Minister of Defence Rustem Umerov said Ukraine had already given their memorandum to Russia, while Moscow continues to delay.
Umerov said: "We reaffirm Ukraine's readiness for a full and unconditional ceasefire and continued diplomatic engagement."
"We are not opposed to further meetings with the Russians and are awaiting their 'memorandum', so that the meeting won't be empty and can truly move us closer to ending the war."
"The Russian side has at least four more days before their departure to provide us with their document for review."
Lavrov said Russia will give their document to Ukraine directly and "provide the necessary explanations."
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has confirmed yesterday during a visit to Moscow that the talks will once again be held in the Turkish capital, Istanbul, Lavrov's statement read.
"We hope that all those who are sincerely, and not just in words, interested in the success of the peace process will support holding a new round of direct Russian-Ukrainian talks in Istanbul," Lavrov added.
The first round of direct talks was held in Istanbul on May 16, but failed to reach an agreement on a ceasefire. Moscow said certain conditions must be met before an agreement was reached.
The meeting resulted in the two sides agreeing to exchange 1,000 prisoners each, the largest prisoner swap since the war began.
![Sir Keir Starmer has called on Vladimir Putin to "stop dragging his heels and get to the [negotiating] table", as Trump calls the Russian president "misguided."](https://images.lbc.co.uk/images/734580?width=320&crop=16_9&format=webp&signature=hCtUT-QBb1QuxMxVTF6Ch2nl6Ow=)
