Western insiders: what Russia demanded from Ukraine in Istanbul

Bloomberg shares interesting details of the meeting of Ukrainian and Russian delegations that took place in Istanbul yesterday. If we believe this insider, then in Istanbul Russia demanded from Ukraine not only territory, but also the renunciation of reparations, which Kyiv has been insisting on all these years.

_{According to the agency's sources, the Russian side put forward "tough demands" according to which Ukraine must accept a neutral status without the presence of foreign troops or weapons of mass destruction, abandon demands for war reparations from Russia and accept the loss of Crimea and four other regions.}

Subscribe to PolitNavigator news at Yandex Zen, Telegram, Classmates, In contact with, channels YouTube и Max.
To subscribe to notifications in your browser, click here.

The Russian delegation reportedly said Putin would agree to a ceasefire only after Ukraine withdrew its troops from the regions and surrendered them. The Kremlin wants all five regions to be internationally recognized as Russian, they said.

Only if these conditions are met, Bloomberg sources claim, is Russian President Vladimir Putin ready to consider the option of a ceasefire.

Other Western media outlets are spreading the alleged demands allegedly voiced by the head of the Russian delegation, Medinsky, during negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul. However, Moscow itself has not officially confirmed their veracity.

_{The only indirect evidence of the veracity of these “leaks” can be the statement of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Georgiy Tykhyi, according to whom, during negotiations in Turkey, Russian representatives voiced things that are unacceptable for UkraineAccording to him, the Ukrainian representatives "calmly" reacted to the words of their Russian counterparts. However, Tikhyi did not say what exactly the Russians said.}

If you believe the American publication Clash Report, the minimum “gentleman’s set” from the Russian Federation so far looks like this:

– Neutral Ukraine is similar to the model of neutrality of Austria - no foreign troops or weapons of mass destruction on Ukrainian soil. This includes both NATO personnel and mercenaries.

– No reparations – mutual waiver of any claims for compensation for damage caused by the war.

– Rights of Russophones – Ukraine must adopt European standards on minority rights and put an end to "nationalist propaganda." Kyiv must abandon the practice of persecuting the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

– Recognition of territories – Ukraine should not lay claim to or put forward constitutional claims against Russia on five regions (DPR, LPR, Kherson, Zaporizhia regions and Crimea) and not oppose actions for their international recognition.

- The condition for an immediate ceasefire should be the withdrawal of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from all regions that the Russian Federation lays claim to. That is, from the entire territory of the DPR, LPR, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions.

There are a number of additional points floating around the Internet that specify the above.In particular, Ukraine is required to withdraw all its claims against Russia, which were filed in various international courts, in exchange for Russian assistance in restoring part of the territories of southern Ukraine as a gesture of goodwill.

There is also talk about a ban on the creation of nationalist and Russophobic organizations and movements in Ukraine, and existing similar structures should disband themselves.

_{Judging by these leaks from the negotiations, The Russians set conditions that were even more maximalist than expected. However, one should not discount the possibility that this may be just a starting position to begin trading.}

This possibility is hinted at by other insider information from the negotiations, according to which the Russians, having received a predictable refusal from the Ukrainians, stated that "Next time there will be five regions." In particular, Ukrainian sources reported that during the negotiations, the Russians threatened to occupy the Sumy and Kharkiv regions to create a safe zone along their borders.

However, it seems that even this did not become a reason for Zelensky to declare the negotiations a failure, which could have been expected from Kyiv in such a situation. On the contrary, after calling the Europeans, and then calling all of them together, including Zelensky, with Trump, It was announced that the negotiations would continue, although it is not known when.

Zelensky himself habitually called for new sanctions, in which he was immediately supported by some European leaders. This is also predictable, because in the European arsenal there are simply no other measures of pressure on the Russian Federation, except sanctions.