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Terms of contact: what did the delegations of the Russian Federation and Ukraine come to Istanbul to negotiate with
Moscow and Kiev are preparing for the second round of talks in Istanbul, putting forward counter initiatives, but the real prospect of de-escalation remains vague. In parallel with the terrorist attacks on Russian airfields, Ukraine handed over to the media a certain "settlement plan" with obviously impossible conditions. Kiev tried to request a similar document from Moscow, but it was quickly made clear that all the conditions of the Russian side would be announced to the Ukrainian negotiators at a meeting on June 2. Izvestia investigated where the Ukrainian leadership was in such a hurry, whether Kiev was ready for peace and what the imposition of impossible demands might mean.
Russia and Ukraine in the second round of negotiations
Moscow and Kiev have confirmed their readiness for a new round of direct talks, which will be held on June 2 in Istanbul. This will be the second meeting of the delegations, which is supposed to mark an attempt to return to discussing the terms of the ceasefire. At the same time, the negotiation process is developing against the background of further provocations from the Ukrainian side. On June 1, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that the Kiev regime had carried out a terrorist attack using drones against airfields in the Murmansk, Irkutsk, Ivanovo, Ryazan and Amur regions. And this alone calls into question Kiev's real willingness to de-escalate.
And the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, commenting on Ukraine's reaction to the tragedy that occurred the day before in the Bryansk region, noted that Kiev gives out the very "painfulness, overcoming which is one of its goals."
"Look at the gloating, look at the hellish joy of both politicians, public figures, and those who have apparently been infected with this ideology," the diplomat said.
One of the carriages of the Klimov – Moscow train, crushed by a collapsed bridge in the Bryansk region
On May 28, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced plans to transfer the official memorandum to the Ukrainian side. According to him, the document outlining Moscow's position on all aspects of the settlement will be presented to the Kiev delegation headed by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov. The condition of the Russian side for the settlement of the conflict is the return of Ukraine to a neutral, non-aligned and nuclear-weapon-free status. At the same time, Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation, announced that the negotiators of the Russian Federation and Ukraine are also working on a list of conditions for a temporary truce.
— So far, we have not moved to the stage of a temporary truce and a cease-fire. First, the texts of the memorandum will have to be agreed upon and a list of conditions for a temporary truce will have to be worked out. That's what our negotiating teams are currently doing," the Kremlin official said.
The Ukrainian side, in turn, claims that it allegedly handed over its document to Moscow and expects a similar step. Dmitry Peskov called the demand to immediately hand over the memorandum unconstructive.
"Moscow's agreement to send the text of its memorandum to the Ukrainian side before the face—to—face meeting of the delegations in Turkey would obviously put Russia in a weak position," Tigran Meloyan, an analyst at the HSE Center for Mediterranean Studies, told Izvestia. — This would portray Moscow as if it sends the text to Kiev for approval, and Kiev will determine whether it makes sense to meet on Monday or send the document back for revision. This blurs the effect of exposing the Ukrainian delegation to the fact, as is usually done with the losing side.
On June 1, the text of the Ukrainian document was published by the Reuters news agency. Kiev's proposals largely repeat previously voiced positions: a complete ceasefire is envisaged for at least 30 days, an exchange of prisoners and the return of Ukrainian children in Russia, and the final goal of the plan is a personal meeting between Zelensky and Putin to conclude a final agreement. At the same time, Ukraine does not recognize the loss of territories, is not ready to limit the armed forces and insists on reparations. And the current front line is proposed to be used as a basis for further territorial negotiations.
By proposing such a "plan" at the Istanbul talks, Kiev is trying to form inflated starting positions, obviously leaving room for further concessions in exchange for diplomatic or economic preferences from the West.
Buffer zone
Against this background, the Russian side continues to promote its line. On May 22, President Vladimir Putin announced the creation of a "buffer zone" to ensure the security of border areas, stressing that this task is now being solved by the armed forces.
— The creation of a buffer zone is one of the main guarantees of a stable situation in the border areas. Today we see the situation in the Belgorod and Kursk regions. Ukraine is using drones in colossal numbers today, and for strikes against the civilian population," Rodion Miroshnik, the Russian Foreign Ministry's ambassador—at-large for crimes committed by the Kiev regime, told Izvestia.
According to him, the exact parameters of the buffer zone can be determined by the military, but even from a technological point of view, 7-10 kilometers are enough to protect against mortars.
— If we are talking about artillery, it is about 30 km. Now drones also fall roughly into this category," the diplomat stressed.
Miroshnik pointed out that it is artillery and drones that pose the greatest threats to the civilian population. In this regard, in his opinion, it is necessary to create a strict security system.
The exchange of prisoners, according to the diplomat, is rather a matter of technical and political coordination, and it is quite realistic. Miroshnik stressed that the exchange requires a clear step-by-step study: it is necessary to form lists of persons, transfer them to the opposite side, carry out the verification procedure and agree on the return procedure.
The West's position on the peace process
The United States has already expressed diplomatic support for the very fact of the negotiations — the head of the State Department, Marco Rubio, welcomed the prisoner exchange in a conversation with Lavrov and confirmed Washington's interest in continuing consultations. However, the continuation of large—scale military supplies to Ukraine from the West may undermine the very possibility of compromise - increasing Kiev's motivation not to deviate from harsh conditions.
"I believe that at this stage such military support may negatively affect peace negotiations," Milan Mazurek, a member of the European Parliament from Slovakia, told Izvestia.
Instead of supplying weapons, he said, the German Chancellor should focus on diplomacy.
"I would prefer that the German Chancellor, who recently even threatened my country, Slovakia, focus on diplomatic efforts," Mazurek stressed.
Answering a question about the possibility of suspending arms supplies to Ukraine, the MEP acknowledged that such initiatives exist. There are indeed forces in the European Parliament that advocate a peaceful resolution of the conflict and mutually beneficial cooperation, he noted. According to him, he and his UST political group support the ceasefire. However, Mazurek added that this is not very realistic at the moment, as the group simply does not have the necessary majority to advance such initiatives.
The MEP is convinced that the EU is capable of playing a constructive role in the peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. In his opinion, the participation of the European Union in diplomatic initiatives along with the efforts of Donald Trump, the Pope or the Turkish leadership could have a significant impact on the parties to the conflict. However, the current EU leadership "is more inclined to continue the conflict than to resolve it," he noted.
Vladimir Dzhabarov, First Deputy head of the International Committee of the Federation Council, expressed doubt in his commentary to Izvestia about the readiness of the Ukrainian side for a constructive dialogue.
— There is a suspicion that Kiev may try to disrupt the negotiations or put forward obviously unacceptable conditions. But I think the dialogue will continue, because the West is pushing Ukraine to negotiate, and we are ready for negotiations. The fact is that if measures are not taken to end military support for Ukraine from the West, this may continue for a long time," the senator shared with Izvestia.
Vladimir Medinsky
Anyway, upon arrival in Istanbul, the head of the Russian delegation, Vladimir Medinsky, said that he would set out in detail the Russian Federation's position on the Ukrainian settlement on June 2.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
