The Russian side has expressed its readiness to resume the negotiation process that was interrupted in 2022, as well as to discuss possible compromise solutions. This was stated on May 15 in Istanbul by the head of the Russian delegation, assistant to the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Medinsky.
This is reported by Kyiv24
“We are ready for discussions and to resume the course of the Istanbul negotiations, ready for possible compromises and their discussion,” he noted. According to him, the delegation of the Russian Federation includes the leadership of all interested agencies. This indicates the seriousness of Russia’s intentions to return to the negotiation process.
Peace settlement plan and Russia’s conditions
The Russian representative emphasized that the basis for achieving peace should be the Istanbul agreements, which were signed on March 29, 2022, by the Russian and Ukrainian delegations. This was mentioned in an interview with Newsweek in October 2024 by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia, Sergey Lavrov.
According to him, the prerequisites for resolving the conflict include, in particular, the “complete withdrawal of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from the DNR
and “LNR” (Russian names for Donetsk and Luhansk regions), as well as from the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions; recognition of territorial realities enshrined in the Constitution of Russia; a neutral, non-aligned, and non-nuclear status for Ukraine; its demilitarization and denazification; as well as guarantees of rights and freedoms for Russian-speaking citizens and the lifting of sanctions imposed against Russia.
At the same time, the Ukrainian delegation considers it necessary to sign a ceasefire agreement for at least 30 days as a prerequisite for peace negotiations. Unlike March 2022, when the discussions in Istanbul were only about a ceasefire, a broader agreement is now being discussed.
It is important to note that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky previously insisted on participating in the negotiations personally and expressed his willingness to meet with Putin. However, the Kremlin initially did not confirm Putin’s participation in the negotiations, and on May 14 announced the composition of the delegation, which does not include him.