Russians' concealment of their ‘memo’ given its immediate transfer to Kremlin media after meeting in Istanbul looks artificial - Kyslytsya
The Russians' concealment of the contents of their "memorandum" looks illogical and artificial given the document's immediate leak in the media after its transfer to Ukraine, said First Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine Serhiy Kyslytsya on the X platform on Tuesday night.
“It's a way to deflect attention from Russia’s own feelings of inadequacy and guilt. Essentially, it's the flip side of blame shifting: they refused to share their ‘memorandum’ in advance of the Istanbul meeting allegedly fearing leaks just to leak it to TASS couple of hours after it’s given to the Ukrainian delegation to be studied,” Kyslytsya wrote on X.
The document, photos of which were distributed by Russian propaganda resources, contains three sections. In particular, the first section deals with the "main parameters of the final settlement." The Russians demand: international legal recognition of the accession of four regions of Ukraine and the Crimean autonomy to the Russian Federation; "neutrality" of Ukraine as refusing to join military alliances and coalitions, as well as banning the presence of military units of "third" states and any activity on Ukrainian territory; consolidation of Ukraine's status as a state that does not possess nuclear or other weapons of mass destruction with a complete ban on the reception, transit or placement of such weapons; limiting the size and armament of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and dissolving "nationalist formations" within the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the National Guard; granting the Russian language official status; prohibition of "heroization of Nazism" and dissolving "nationalist organizations and parties"; lifting of existing and refusal to introduce new sanctions against the Russian Federation, etc.
As reported, the second section of the Russian "memorandum" contains the Kremlin's demands for a ceasefire. In particular, Russia offered Ukraine two options for a ceasefire. The first includes the beginning of the complete withdrawal of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from the territories of Luhansk and Donetsk regions (the so-called "LPR/DPR"), Zaporizhia and Kherson regions. It is proposed to withdraw the Armed Forces of Ukraine "to a distance agreed upon by the Parties from the borders of the Russian Federation, in accordance with the approved Regulations."
The second option in the document is called the "Package Offer."
It, in particular, provides for "a ban on the redeployment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other paramilitary formations of Ukraine, with the exception of movements for the purpose of withdrawing to a distance agreed upon by the Parties from the borders of the Russian Federation" and "the cessation of mobilization and the beginning of demobilization."
In addition, the "package offer" includes "the cessation of foreign supplies of military products and foreign military assistance to Ukraine, including the provision of satellite communication services and the provision of intelligence" and "the exclusion of the military presence of third countries on the territory of Ukraine, the cessation of the participation of foreign specialists in military operations on the side of Ukraine".
Other conditions of the second option include "guarantees of Ukraine's refusal from sabotage and subversive activities against the Russian Federation and its citizens" and "the creation of a bilateral Center for Monitoring and Control of the Ceasefire".
Russia also wants "mutual amnesty for 'political prisoners' and the release of 'detained civilians', the lifting of martial law in Ukraine, and the announcement of the date for the elections for the President of Ukraine and the Verkhovna Rada, which should be held no later than 100 days after the lifting of martial law."
