Russian Memorandum: Ceasefire Only if Ukraine Completely Withdraws from 4 Partially Occupied Regions

Moscow presented its memorandum to Ukrainian representatives in Istanbul on Monday following the second round of negotiations. The memorandum demands that Russia will only negotiate a ceasefire if Ukraine fully withdraws from the four partly occupied Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson.

“From the moment the withdrawal of the Ukrainian Armed Forces begins, a 30-day ceasefire regime is established. At the same time, the complete withdrawal of Ukrainian Armed Forces units from the territory of the Russian Federation and the full implementation of the “package agreement” must be carried out within these 30 days,” the document says.

Russia controls only a portion of these regions, yet demands that Ukraine and the west recognize Russian claims over areas in these regions still held by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as Crimea, according to the AFP.  

In September 2022, Russia organized illegitimate referendums in the four occupied regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson to annex them as official Russian territories.

President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was on Monday attending a summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, said, “The key to lasting peace is clear – the aggressor must not receive any reward for war. Putin must get nothing that would justify his aggression. Any reward would only show him that war pays off.”

Other Topics of Interest

Additional Pantsir Air Defense System Spotted Near Attacked Moscow Oil Refinery

Russian forces have deployed an additional Pantsir anti-aircraft missile and gun system near the Moscow Oil Refinery, likely elocated from the front line amid a potential missile shortage.

The demand for a military withdrawal of Ukraine from the temporarily occupied territories is actually an expansion of the same maximalist demands that Russia proposed in April 2022 in the so-called Istanbul Communiqué. 

The demands also include: Ukrainian neutrality, bans in military alliances or coalition (re: NATO or EU accession), limits on the size of Ukraine’s military and the quantity and types of weapons it holds, “full guarantees of the rights, freedoms, and interests” of Russian speakers in Ukraine, bans on “naziism and neo-naziism” and the total lifting of sanctions on Russia including free transit of Russian gas pipelines through Ukraine, according to Russian state media.

Russia has falsely accused Ukraine of “naziism,” a claim rebuked by Ukraine’s chief Rabi – Moshe Asman– in a recent interview with Kyiv Post. 

These Russian demands come after Ukraine conducted a massive attack on four Russian airfields on June 1, destroying up to 41 Russian aircraft and causing an estimated $7 billion in damage.