Russia has published the text of a memorandum outlining its demands for a possible ceasefire with Ukraine. The main conditions include the complete withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Luhansk, and Kherson regions, as well as international recognition of the Russian Federation’s control over these areas and Crimea, which was occupied back in 2014.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Other key demands from Russia
The document also includes a demand for Ukraine to maintain neutrality. This entails an official renunciation of joining any military alliances and a ban on the deployment of foreign military formations on Ukrainian territory. Additionally, Russia insists on granting the Russian language official status in Ukraine.
Among the additional points in the memorandum is the lifting of all restrictions on the activities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which is in canonical unity with the Moscow Patriarchate.
Ukraine’s position in the negotiations
Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, who leads the Ukrainian delegation in the negotiations in Istanbul, reported that Kyiv has been given a week to study Russia’s proposals regarding the cessation of hostilities. At the same time, according to Reuters, Ukraine has put forward its own vision for the negotiation process: the absence of obligations regarding a neutral status and a refusal to recognize the occupied territories as Russian.
Until June 2, the Kremlin refused to share its conditions for negotiations in Istanbul, which was criticized in Kyiv. In particular, President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that this indicates the Kremlin’s desire to make the negotiations “meaningless.”
It is worth noting that during the previous round of negotiations, which took place on May 16, the parties did not achieve significant results; however, they agreed on a prisoner exchange in the format of “one thousand for one thousand.” The last stage of this exchange occurred on May 25.