"We discussed in detail the logic of further steps and shared our approaches... It is critical that Russia reciprocate Ukraine's constructive steps. So far, it has not. Moscow must understand that rejecting peace comes at a cost," Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said.
"I am waiting to see who will come from Russia, and then I will decide which steps Ukraine should take. So far, the signals from them in the media are unconvincing," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
The air raid was announced at around 2:30 p.m. local time, while the explosion sounded around 2:50 p.m. The number of victims killed rose to three, Sumy Oblast Governor Oleh Hryhorov reported at 8:42 p.m.
If confirmed, the decision would mark the first time since Russia's full-scale invasion that President Volodymyr Zelensky is absent, either physically or virtually, from a NATO summit.
The disclosure follows a warning from Digital Affairs Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski, who on May 6 said Moscow was carrying out an "unprecedented" interference campaign.
Brazilian President Lula da Silva claimed that Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha had appealed to his Brazilian counterpart, Mauro Vieira, to ask Putin if he was willing to conclude a peace agreement.
Earlier reporting from the Washington Post cited a former Russian official who claimed Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Putin’s foreign policy aide, Yuri Ushakov, would represent Moscow in the talks.
The Council of Europe on May 14 approved the creation of a special tribunal to prosecute Russia's top leadership for the crime of aggression against Ukraine, Ukrainian lawmaker Maria Mezentseva reported.
Vladimir Putin leaves the scene during the opening ceremony of the last phase of the Moscow-Saint Petersburg motorway on July 16, 2024, in Tver, Russia. (Contributor/Getty Images)
The Kremlin unveiled its delegation for Ukraine-Russia peace talks in a decree signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin on May 14.
Russia has not shared who it would send to negotiations in Turkey up until now. President Volodymyr Zelensky said on May 14 that Kyiv will determine its next steps in Ukraine-Russia peace talks when Moscow unveils its delegation.
Moscow announced that their delegation would be headed by presidential advisor and propaganda architect, Vladimir Medinsky.
The Russian delegation will also consist of Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, Director of Russian Military Intelligence Igor Kostyukov, and Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin.
The delegation is notably void of the Kremlin's top politicians, including Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Putin has refused calls for a ceasefire and instead insists peace negotiations begin before a ceasefire is implemented.
In response, Zelensky has said he will travel to Turkey for the peace talks, and has invited Putin to meet him there.
So far, Russia has not signalled that Putin will be present at the peace negotiations on May 15.
Russia has said the May 15 talks would be a resumption of 2022 peace negotiations held in Turkey at the onset of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine in February 2022.
According to the leaked 2022 peace draft proposal, both sides agreed to exclude Crimea from the treaty, leaving it under Russian occupation without Ukraine recognizing Russian sovereignty over it.
The status of other Russian-occupied territories was to be decided in later talks between presidents Zelensky and Putin.
The treaty would reportedly see Ukraine abandon aspirations to join NATO or any other military alliance, but allow for EU entry.
Russia also demanded the lifting of all sanctions, repealing Kyiv's laws related to language and national identity, and limiting Ukraine's Armed Forces.
The negotiations were unsuccessful and did not lead to the signing of any agreements. After that, there were no direct talks between Ukraine and Russia.
The meeting between Zelensky and Putin, if it occurs, could signal a breakthrough in stalled diplomatic efforts to end Russia's full-scale invasion.
The last and only face-to-face meeting between Zelensky and Putin occurred in December 2019 in Paris under the Normandy Format. Since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, there have been no direct meetings between the two.
Russian authorities have listed maximalist demands in previous ceasefire negotiations brokered by the U.S.
Brazilian President Lula da Silva has said he will ask Putin to go to Turkey for peace talks with Zelensky.
Daria Shulzhenko
