Russia proposes talks with Ukraine on June 2

Russia has proposed holding second round of direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul next Monday.

U.S. President Donald Trump doubled down on his criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying he'll know soon if the Russian leader is just "tapping" him along.

Lee Seung-jae reports.

Moscow has proposed holding another round of direct talks with Kyiv.

The meeting which would again take place in Istanbul, is slated for June 2nd, with the aim of achieving a sustainable peace settlement.

"The Russian side, as agreed, has promptly developed a relevant memorandum, which sets out our position on all aspects of reliably overcoming the root causes of the crisis. Our delegation, led by Vladimir Medinsky, is ready to present this memorandum to the Ukrainian delegation and to provide necessary clarifications during the second round of direct talks in Istanbul next Monday, June 2."

However, there was no immediate response from Ukraine.

The proposed talks come as their previous meeting on May 16 in Istanbul ended without an agreement on a ceasefire.

Russia's top envoy Sergei Lavrov expressed hope that those "interested in the success of the peace process will support holding a new round of Russia-Ukraine negotiations in Istanbul."

Meanwhile,.. U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he doesn't want to impose any new sanctions on Russia yet, as he does not want such penalties to interfere with getting a ceasefire.

When asked by a reporter if he believe Russian President Vladimir Putin is sincere about ending the war, Trump said he'll know in about two week.

"I can't tell you that, but I'll let you know in about two weeks, within two weeks, we're going to find out very soon. We're going to find out whether or not he's (Putin) tapping us along or not. And if he is, we'll respond a little bit differently. But it'll take about a week and a half, two weeks."

The U.S. President also said Putin may be intentionally delaying ceasefire negotiations, while expressing his disappointment over recent Russian strikes in Ukraine.

Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News.