‘No Deadlines – Nor Can There Be’: Kremlin on Ukraine Peace Memo After Trump-Putin Call

The spokesperson for Russian leader Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Peskov, stated that no specific timeframe has been set for preparing a memorandum with Ukraine regarding a potential end to the war or a peace agreement.

Peskov made several remarks following a phone call between US President Donald Trump and Putin on Monday, May 19, during which he mentioned the so-called “memorandum” with Ukraine that could relate to a possible future cessation of hostilities.

In his comments, Peskov noted that “no concrete decision has been made yet about where further contacts between Russia and Ukraine will take place,” according to Russian media.

According to the Kremlin spokesperson, there is not even an approximate timeline for drafting a “memorandum on settlement with Ukraine.” He said the document would be developed jointly by Russia and Ukraine and that the goal was to produce a single, agreed-upon text.

Peskov said that “there are no concrete timeframes for the preparation of the memorandum.”

“There are no deadlines, nor can there be,” said Peskov. “It’s clear that everyone wants to do this as quickly as possible. But, as always, the devil is in the details. Draft proposals will be formulated both by the Russian side and by the Ukrainian side. There will be an exchange of these drafts, followed by complex negotiations to produce a unified text.”

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Immediately after the conversation with Trump, Putin stated that Russia is ready to work with Ukraine on a memorandum regarding a potential peace agreement. According to him, he and Trump agreed that Moscow would propose to the Ukrainian side to begin working on a document that outlines key positions for a future deal.

However, the Kremlin spokesperson again brought up the issue of the so-called “root causes” of Russia’s war against Ukraine, attempting to justify Moscow’s aggression.

“Everyone is interested in a swift settlement regarding Ukraine. Russia is interested in eliminating the root causes of the conflict,” he said.

Peskov also said that during the May 19 phone call between Putin and Trump, the topic of a possible direct dialogue between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was raised. He added that contacts between Russia and Ukraine have now been restored and are ongoing, but that no decision has yet been made on where those talks will continue.

Meanwhile, during a press briefing on Monday, Zelensky said that Ukraine is considering organizing an international meeting with delegations from Russia, the United States, EU countries, and the United Kingdom to discuss possible paths to peace.

“We are considering bringing all the teams together,” said Zelensky. “We want to organize this at a high level: the United States, Ukraine, Russia, some EU representatives, and the United Kingdom. Such a meeting could take place in Turkey, the Vatican, or Switzerland. We are currently considering these three venues.”