Russia demanded Ukraine cede more territory, source says
ISTANBUL—Russian negotiators at talks in Istanbul demanded Ukraine pull its troops out of all territories claimed by Moscow before they would agree to a ceasefire, a senior Ukrainian official familiar with the talks told Reuters.
That demand, along with others the Ukrainian official said were made at Friday’s talks, went beyond the terms of a draft deal that the United States proposed after consultations with Moscow.
The talks in Istanbul, the first direct contacts between the two sides in three years, ended with agreement for a prisoner exchange but failed to agree to a ceasefire.
A Ukrainian source had said on Friday the Russians had made conditions he described as “nonstarters,” without giving details.
At a briefing with reporters on Saturday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov was asked about the terms that, according to the Ukrainian official, Moscow put forward, but he declined to comment, saying the discussions need to take place behind closed doors.
The Ukrainian official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to reveal details of the talks, said Russian proposed the following terms for a peace deal:
‘Conditions’
- The withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson and Luhansk regions of Ukraine, only after which there can be a ceasefire.
The regions are largely or partially controlled by Russian forces, but Ukrainian troops are still fighting to hold on to the remaining parts of the regions. There was no such demand in the draft deal prepared by the United States.
- International recognition that five parts of Ukraine—the Crimea peninsula annexed in 2014, as well as the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions—are Russian.
The US draft had proposed only US de jure recognition for Crimea, and US de facto recognition for Russian-controlled parts of the other regions.
- Ukraine becomes a neutral state, has no weapons of mass destruction, and Kyiv’s allies will not station any of their troops on Ukrainian soil. This demand was absent from the US proposal.
- All sides in the conflict renounce their claims to receive compensation for war damages. The US proposal had stipulated that Ukraine receives compensation.
According to the Ukrainian official, Russian negotiators transmitted those demands verbally, and did not share any document containing their terms.
Ukraine has said that the Russian negotiating position in Istanbul showed it was not serious about peace.
