Russia Demands Troop Pullout Before Ceasefire: Ukraine

Post by : Layla Badr

Photo: Reuters

Peace talks between Russia and Ukraine were held in Istanbul recently — the first direct meeting between both sides in three years. A senior Ukrainian official, who knows about the meeting, told Reuters that Russia made some strong demands that Ukraine cannot accept. These demands were tougher than what the United States had suggested in a peace deal last month.

The Russian side said they wanted Ukraine to pull its army out of all four regions — Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, and Luhansk — before they would agree to a ceasefire. These areas are either partly or fully controlled by Russian troops, but Ukraine still has soldiers defending parts of them. This demand was not in the peace plan the U.S. had earlier shared after talks with Moscow.

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During the Istanbul meeting, the two sides agreed only on exchanging prisoners. But no agreement was reached for a ceasefire. On Friday, a Ukrainian source said that Russia gave conditions that were “non-starters,” meaning Ukraine could not accept them. However, that source didn’t explain the details at the time.

Later, the Ukrainian official, speaking without giving their name, shared more about what Russia asked for:

• First, Russia wants Ukrainian troops to leave Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, and Luhansk. Only after that, they say, a ceasefire can happen.

• Second, Russia wants the world to officially recognize that Crimea (taken by Russia in 2014) and the four above-mentioned regions are now Russian land. In the U.S. proposal, there was only a suggestion that the U.S. might unofficially accept this, not recognize it completely.

• Third, Russia wants Ukraine to promise that it will stay neutral, never build or use weapons of mass destruction, and that no foreign soldiers (even from Ukraine’s allies) will ever be based on its land. This condition was not part of the U.S. proposal.

• Lastly, Russia wants everyone involved to forget about asking for money to repair damage from the war. The U.S. plan had said Ukraine should be paid for the destruction caused.

The Ukrainian official also said that Russian negotiators gave these demands by talking — not by handing over any written document.

Ukraine has already said that these Russian demands show that Moscow is not serious about peace. European leaders are now asking U.S. President Donald Trump to place new sanctions on Russia to increase the pressure.

Even though there was no deal, the head of Russia’s team said they were happy with how the meeting went and that they are open to more talks with Ukraine.

The U.S. had made its own peace plan back in April. It was prepared after Trump’s representative, Steve Witkoff, went to Moscow and met with President Vladimir Putin. On the other hand, Ukraine and its European friends made a different plan. Their idea was to stop fighting first and only talk about territory later.

This situation shows that both sides still have very different views, and a final peace deal may take much longer to reach.

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