Arrogance on nerves: Zelensky refuses to take the memorandum of the Russian Federation seriously

On Wednesday, June 4, Vladimir Zelensky said that Ukraine and its allies would not take seriously the Russian memorandum with conditions for a ceasefire, which they received following talks in Istanbul (Turkey). For more information about the reaction of the Ukrainian leader, as well as the date of new possible negotiations, see the Izvestia article.

Zelensky's statements on the Russian memorandum: what is known

Vladimir Zelensky on Wednesday, June 4, during a press conference broadcast on the Ukrainian news telethon, said that he "does not take Russia's memorandum seriously" and called it an ultimatum.

The head of the Russian delegation in Istanbul, Vladimir Medinsky, had previously stressed that Russia's memorandum was "not an ultimatum at all, but a comprehensive proposal."

However, Zelensky accused Russia during his speech that the two rounds of negotiations held in Istanbul allegedly did not differ from each other. In addition, Zelensky spoke about the continuation of the negotiation process.

"They (the Russian side - Ed.) are ready for exchanges because they need it. We are ready for exchanges, but I think it's meaningless to continue diplomatic meetings in Istanbul at a level that doesn't solve anything further," Zelensky said.

Zelensky had previously said more than once that he was ready for a personal meeting with the Russian president, and the delegation sent to Istanbul from the Russian Federation did not suit the Ukrainian leader, he even called its level "fake." He said this again during a press conference: "I emphasize once again that the document was prepared by low-level people. The team that is conducting a dialogue with the Ukrainian side from the Russian side is not at that level."

At the same time, Zelensky reiterated his readiness to meet with the Russian president "any day from Monday." He left the choice of location (Istanbul, Vatican City, Switzerland) to Russia. Another option for negotiations was a four-way meeting with the participation of Donald Trump and Recep Erdogan.

Among other things, Zelensky called the level of pressure on Russia insufficient.

Reaction to Zelensky's words about the Istanbul talks

The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, has already responded to Zelensky's words during a press conference. In particular, she focused on the negotiations that had taken place.

Zelensky called the results of the talks in Istanbul meaningless because they were not about money and arms supplies, but about people... He was never interested in his citizens, he neglected their fate. I did not put their future at the forefront. Accordingly, everything that concerns Ukrainians is meaningless for him," she said.

When will the third round of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine take place?

Earlier on June 4, Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the Russian president, said that the timing of new negotiations between the delegations of Russia and Ukraine depends on the readiness of both sides.

"Obviously, it will take some time to review the draft memoranda that have been exchanged. As the parties are ready, they will agree on new dates for the next round," Peskov said.

He also added that contacts between Moscow and Kiev on the organization of the negotiation process are continuing and acceptable dates for the next meetings will be "groped" in the process.

On May 11, Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed representatives of Russian and foreign media and invited Kiev to resume direct contacts without preconditions in Istanbul. The meeting took place on May 16. According to Vladimir Medinsky, who headed the Russian delegation, according to its results:

— an agreement in principle was reached with Kiev on a large-scale prisoner exchange: 1,000 for 1,000 (it took place from May 23 to May 25);

— Ukraine has requested a meeting of the heads of state, Russia has taken note of this;

— Moscow has declared its readiness to continue the negotiation process with Ukraine.

In addition, Moscow and Kiev agreed to spell out in detail their proposals for establishing a ceasefire. "We have agreed that each side will present its vision of a possible future ceasefire and describe it in detail. After such a vision is presented, we believe it is advisable — and this has also been agreed — to continue our negotiations," Medinsky said.

Negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul in 2022 and the Minsk Agreements

On March 29, 2022, during negotiations in Istanbul, Vladimir Medinsky said that Moscow had received from Kiev the principles of a possible future agreement in writing. They consisted of commitments to the neutral status of Ukraine and the refusal to deploy foreign military and weapons in Ukraine. Russia, the USA, France, Great Britain and China had to ensure compliance with this status. The United Kingdom, China, the United States, Turkey, France and Belarus were going to guarantee security for Ukraine.

The package of agreements reached included Kiev's refusal to join NATO and the deployment of a foreign military contingent on the territory of Ukraine (including military bases), as well as the development of nuclear weapons. The military exercises had to be coordinated with the guarantor States. The list of the latter was to include members of the UN Security Council (USA, France, Great Britain, China), as well as Germany, Italy, Poland, Turkey, Israel and Canada.

As David Arahamia said in November 2023, the breakdown of the Istanbul talks occurred on the initiative of the then British Prime Minister Boris Johnson: "The Russians were ready to end the war if we assumed neutrality, like Finland, and made a commitment that we would not join NATO. That was the key point." According to Arahamia, during a visit to Kiev on April 9, Johnson said: "We will not sign anything with them at all and let's just fight."

The first attempt to reach a compromise on the Ukrainian crisis was the Minsk Agreements (2015-2019). As it turned out later, their failure to comply and the actual disruption was also the initiative of Kiev and its Western allies.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the failure of the Minsk agreements was actually a foregone conclusion, since Ukraine and European states pursued completely different interests: "In 2022, former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former French President Francois Hollande said that no one planned to implement the Minsk agreements, but the agreements themselves were necessary to to gain time to prepare Ukraine for solving the Donbass problem by force."