In the United States, there is disappointment, but not surprise, regarding the list of demands that Russia has put forward as a condition for a ceasefire in the war against Ukraine. According to American officials, the list includes points that are unacceptable to Kyiv and the Trump administration, which is seen as an attempt by Moscow to block meaningful peace negotiations.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Negotiations in Istanbul: Positions of the Parties
The second round of negotiations between the delegations of Ukraine and Russia took place in Istanbul on June 2 and lasted about an hour. The Ukrainian side prepared its own proposals, which include a refusal to recognize the occupied territories as Russian and an unwillingness to agree to a neutral status for the country.
Meanwhile, Russian news agencies released the text of the document outlining Moscow’s demands. In particular, Russia insists on the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Luhansk, and Kherson regions, as well as demands international recognition of these regions and the temporarily occupied Crimea as Russian territories.
Washington’s Reaction and the Further Course of Negotiations
U.S. President Donald Trump expressed disappointment over the lack of progress toward peace even before the last round of negotiations. Sources familiar with his position note that he has recently distanced himself more from both Russia and Ukraine, although he previously criticized both sides.
“They noted that this list includes a number of points that both Ukraine and the Trump administration consider unacceptable, calling it an obvious attempt by Moscow to derail substantive negotiations.”
Previously, Trump had threatened new sanctions against Moscow; however, no steps have been taken to implement these intentions following the second round of negotiations. At the same time, the text of the Russian memorandum also contains a demand for Ukraine regarding neutrality, which entails a refusal to join military alliances and a ban on the presence of foreign military formations on the territory of the state.
Direct negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow, which began in May at the initiative of the United States, have so far not yielded significant progress toward reaching an agreement on a ceasefire.