Ukraine yet to give decision on taking part in Istanbul talks

By Yurii Kovalenko

KYIV (Reuters) -Ukraine wants to see a document setting out Russia's proposals for a peace deal before it sends a delegation for peace talks in Istanbul, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on Friday.

Russia has said it is preparing to send a team of negotiators to meet their Ukrainian counterparts in Istanbul on June 2, but Kyiv has yet to confirm that it will participate in the talks.

At a news conference on Friday with visiting Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Sybiha did not reveal if Ukraine would be taking part.

"In order for the next planned meeting to be substantive and meaningful, it is important to receive a document in advance so that the delegation that will attend has the authority to discuss the relevant positions," Sybiha told reporters.

He said that, to date, Ukraine had not received the memorandum it was expecting from Russian negotiators containing their proposals for discussion at the talks.

Sybiha did not spell out what Kyiv would do if it did not receive the Russian document, or set out a deadline for receiving it.

(Writing by Anna Pruchnicka and Christian Lowe; editing by Tom Balmforth)