Zelensky slams Russia's delay on peace memorandum as 'mockery of the whole world'

Russia's weeklong delay in preparing a proposal on a peace settlement is a "mockery of the whole world," President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening address on May 23.

The remarks come after Russian President Vladimir Putin, during a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump on May 19, refused to support a full ceasefire in Ukraine. Instead, the Kremlin proposed drafting a "memorandum" on a possible future peace settlement.

Zelensky said that, while Ukraine and its partners are working toward an immediate ceasefire, Russia is stalling.

"When it took the Russians a week to formulate the so-called 'memorandum' in response to the demand for a ceasefire, it is definitely a mockery of the whole world," Zelensky said.

"We need a ceasefire. We need diplomatic steps toward real peace. And it's definitely time to put more pressure on Russia."

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on May 20 that there was "no timeline" for completing the document, according to Russian state media TASS.

Three days later, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Russia would only submit the draft "settlement document" after the ongoing prisoner exchange is completed.

That exchange, agreed during direct Ukraine-Russia talks in Istanbul on May 16, saw both sides begin returning 1,000 prisoners of war (POWs) on May 23. It marks the largest such swap since Russia's invasion of Crimea in 2014 and is the only concrete outcome of the Istanbul talks so far.

Zelensky said Moscow continues to block any meaningful progress beyond the prisoner swap.

"Every day in the war is a loss of life. Of course, in Russia, they don't count people. But the world must count," he said. "New sanctions against Russia are needed. I thank each and every one of you who advocate and support this."