Ukraine peace talks become proceduralized

Ukraine and Russia still have a negotiating track, but the record of that track has narrowed to exchanges, memorandums and promises to keep talking. A House of Commons Library briefing on the 2025 talks said two rounds of direct negotiations produced no breakthrough, even as they yielded a prisoner-of-war exchange and a commitment to continue dialogue. A Security Council Report briefing published on May 19 said U.S.-brokered talks were now stalled, though bilateral U.S. contacts with both sides had continued. The result is a diplomatic process that remains alive in form while the war continues to be decided elsewhere. ### What did the last direct Ukraine-Russia talks actually produce? The House of Commons Library said Ukrainian and Russian officials held direct talks on May 16, 2025, for the first time in three years, followed by a second round on June 2, 2025. Both sides presented memorandums outlining their peace proposals in the second round, according to the briefing. The same parliamentary analysis said neither round achieved a breakthrough. It said agreement was reached on the exchange of prisoners of war and that Ukraine and Russia committed to continue dialogue. That sequence matters because it shows what the channel has been able to deliver. The documented outcomes were humanitarian and procedural rather than a ceasefire or broader settlement, according to the House of Commons briefing. (commonslibrary.parliament.uk) ### Why are the talks described as stalled if contacts still exist? Security Council Report said on May 19 that U.S.-brokered talks between Ukraine and Russia remained stalled because of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran and the recent escalation in and around the Strait of Hormuz. (commonslibrary.parliament.uk) The same briefing said bilateral contacts between the United States and both sides had nevertheless continued. That distinction separates the formal negotiating track from the wider diplomacy around it. The multilateral or brokered process can pause while side-channel engagement continues, and Security Council Report described exactly that pattern in its latest briefing. ### Did Moscow say recent attacks would interrupt diplomacy? Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, said peace efforts could continue despite U.S. (securitycouncilreport.org) President Donald Trump’s suggestion that a Russian strike on a Kyiv apartment block had set diplomacy back, NBC News reported on May 18. NBC said the comments came after what the Kremlin described as Russia’s biggest attack in a year. Peskov’s remarks indicated that Moscow was publicly keeping the negotiating track open even after a major escalation. The gap between continued military strikes and continued diplomatic messaging has become a feature of the current process, according to the reported statements. ### What is Kyiv doing as the U.S.-run track loses momentum? Volodymyr Zelensky discussed the involvement of European countries in future peace negotiations with European Council President António Costa on May 17, Ukrinform reported, citing Zelensky’s Facebook post. (nbcnews.com) The report said the two men also discussed support for Ukraine and coordination with partners. That move adds a second visible layer to Kyiv’s diplomacy. While U.S. contacts with both sides continue, Ukraine is also pressing for a wider European role in any future negotiating format, according to Zelensky’s account reported by Ukrinform. ### So what does “proceduralized” mean in practice here? The concrete pattern is a series of talks that preserve contact without producing a settlement. (ukrinform.net) The House of Commons Library identified prisoner exchanges, memorandums and a commitment to keep talking as the main outcomes of the 2025 rounds, while Security Council Report said the U.S.-brokered track is stalled but not abandoned. In practice, that means the process still performs limited functions. (ukrinform.net) It can support swaps, carry proposals and sustain contacts among mediators and parties, but the publicly documented record cited in the latest briefings does not show movement to a broader political agreement. ### What should readers watch next? May 19’s Security Council Report briefing said bilateral U.S. contacts with both sides were continuing even as the brokered track remained stalled. (commonslibrary.parliament.uk) Any new round, ceasefire proposal or exchange announcement would show up first through those contacts or through statements by Kyiv, Moscow or U.S. envoys. Zelensky’s May 17 conversation with Costa also points to another near-term marker: whether European officials are formally included in the next phase of peace discussions. (commonslibrary.parliament.uk) For now, the named participants to watch are U.S. intermediaries, Zelensky, Russian officials and European Council President António Costa. (ukrinform.net) (securitycouncilreport.org)