President Volodymyr Zelensky called the Russian so-called memorandum, which it handed over during the second round of negotiations in Istanbul, an ultimatum.
He said this at a briefing.
According to Zelensky, this "memorandum" will not be taken seriously because it sets out ultimatums that, among other things, contradictThe UN Charter and the Constitution of Ukraine.
Ukraine sent its document to the Russian representatives in two languages, Ukrainian and English, while the Russian negotiators presented the “memorandum” only in Russian and only on the day of the talks. Kyiv sent its document ahead of time, but has not yet received a response regarding the ceasefire it proposed.
In general, Volodymyr Zelensky believes that the current negotiations in Istanbul have the same content and tone as in 2022.
In its memorandum, Russia demanded that Ukraine recognize the annexation of Crimea, Russian rule over 4 Ukrainian regions, refuse reparations, NATO membership, limit the size of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, etc. For details on all points, see the link.
- A new round of talks between Ukraine and Russia took place in Istanbul on June 2. The parties agreed on new exchanges of certain categories of prisoners of war in the format of "all for all". Kyiv also handed over to Moscow a list of abducted Ukrainian children who need to be returned.
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