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Disarmament progress: demilitarization of Kiev will be discussed at the talks in Istanbul
Russia and Ukraine may discuss the demilitarization of Kiev at the talks in Istanbul, Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs Grigory Karasin told Izvestia. Earlier, Moscow proposed to hold a second round of talks on June 2 in Turkey. Kiev has not yet agreed to the proposal for a meeting, but its representatives say they have submitted to the Russian Federation a draft memorandum on the settlement of the conflict. The negotiating background is complicated by threats against Russian negotiators and the continued supply of weapons to Kiev. Moscow has repeatedly stressed that the cessation of military aid is a condition for stopping the fire. The strategies of the parties in the run—up to the negotiations can be found in the Izvestia article.
What Russia and Ukraine will discuss in Istanbul
The official delegations of Russia and Ukraine at the upcoming talks in Istanbul may discuss the demilitarization of Kiev, Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs Grigory Karasin told Izvestia.
— Demilitarization of Ukraine is one of our basic provisions. All aspects that are relevant for our country and the international situation in general will be discussed," Grigory Karasin told Izvestia.
Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs Grigory Karasin
Earlier, Russia proposed to hold a second round of talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on June 2, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said. According to him, Russia has developed a memorandum on the terms of a peaceful settlement, "which sets out our position on all aspects of reliably overcoming the root causes of the crisis." One of Russia's key requirements for resolving the conflict is the neutral, non—aligned, nuclear-weapon-free status of Ukraine, the Russian Foreign Minister stressed.
—We hope that all those who are sincerely, and not in words, interested in the success of the peace process, will support the holding of a new round of direct Russian-Ukrainian talks in Istanbul,— Lavrov concluded.
However, Moscow has not yet received a response from Kiev to the proposal for a meeting in Istanbul on June 2, presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, the head of the Ukrainian delegation at the talks with Russia, said he had handed over the Ukrainian memorandum to Moscow. According to Umerov, Kiev is not against a meeting with Moscow and is waiting for the Russian version of the memorandum. Ukraine's demand to immediately hand over the memorandum is unconstructive, and its discussion will be conducted behind closed doors, Peskov replied.
The composition of the Russian delegation at the talks in Istanbul on June 2 will remain the same, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said. Recall that Vladimir Putin appointed presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky as the head of the Russian delegation, he also headed the Russian negotiating team in 2022. It also includes Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, Chief of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Igor Kostyukov and Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed his readiness to host the talks in Istanbul. Ankara has also stepped up diplomatic efforts. In particular, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met with Vladimir Putin, after which he left for Kiev on May 29.
On May 16, Istanbul hosted the first direct talks between Moscow and Kiev in three years. The initiative to hold them on May 11 was made by Vladimir Putin. The Russian delegation was led by Presidential Aide Vladimir Medinsky, and the Ukrainian delegation was led by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov. The negotiations lasted about two hours, and the parties agreed to exchange prisoners of war according to the "1000 for 1000" formula.
From May 23 to May 25, Russia and Ukraine conducted this exchange. On the first day, the parties handed over 270 military and 120 civilians to each other, on the second — 307 military personnel, on the third — 303 military personnel. This exchange was the largest since the beginning of hostilities in 2022. In addition, during the first round, the delegations agreed to continue the dialogue and prepare concrete proposals for achieving a ceasefire.
As part of the next round of negotiations, if the Ukrainian side does not disrupt it, our representatives will pursue the same line. Moscow is seeking to fulfill the clear and unambiguous conditions previously formulated by the president. Our main goal is to eliminate the root causes of the conflict and prevent its recurrence, Oleg Karpovich, Vice Rector of the Diplomatic Academy, told Izvestia.
— Ukraine's goal is to provoke the collapse of negotiations, in which they participate only under pressure from the United States. They will try to get Washington's go—ahead to abandon diplomacy by provoking Donald Trump's emotional reactions in every possible way," he said.
Kiev understands that achieving lasting peace is fraught with a political fiasco for the Zelensky regime, so there should be no illusions about the negotiability of its representatives, Karpovich concluded.
Against what background will the negotiations take place
Meanwhile, the positions of the interested parties regarding the second round of negotiations differ. Washington supports the continuation of the dialogue between Russia and Ukraine. In particular, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had a telephone conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who informed his American counterpart about preparations for the next round of negotiations. Rubio responded by saying that Washington is ready to help bring the positions of the parties closer.
Washington's interest in a peaceful settlement is also supported by the fact that Trump refuses to impose sanctions against Russia. According to Reuters, he still expects to develop an economic partnership with Russia, despite the demand of a number of Republicans in Congress to introduce new restrictions against Moscow.
On the contrary, the EU intends to continue to put pressure on Russia and help Ukraine. During Vladimir Zelensky's recent visit to Germany, it became known that this country would provide military support to Kiev in the amount of € 5 billion. Berlin will also finance the production of long-range weapons systems in Ukraine. And German Chancellor Friedrich Merz allowed the possibility of supplying long-range Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine in the future. He noted that the training of the Ukrainian military in handling missiles can take a long time.
There are also forces in Ukraine that are clearly interested in disrupting the negotiation process. It became known about the threats coming to Vladimir Medinsky's family from Ukrainian nationalists. In particular, information about the diplomat and his relatives was published on the extremist website "Mirotvorets", which maintains a list of "enemies of Ukraine." Alexander Bastrykin, Chairman of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, ordered a criminal case to be opened in connection with threats made against Medinsky. Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the situation "egregious and unprecedented," and the competent authorities should find out the source of the threats.
The negotiation process is entering a crucial phase as the parties move on to discuss the details of a possible agreement. First, the most stringent requirements can be put forward, and when the boundaries of possible compromises become clear, it will be possible to proceed to their discussion. However, threats against the Russian delegation and Kiev's refusal to directly agree to a new meeting show that the dialogue will be difficult. Even if an agreement is reached, there will be a problem of the legitimacy of the signatories on the Ukrainian side. And this is fundamentally important for Russia, as officials have noted.
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