Zelenskyy’s Office lists conditions Russia may include in ceasefire memorandum
Photo: Advisor to the Head of the Presidential Office Mykhailo Podolyak (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
Russia could include in a so-called peace memorandum the complete loss of Ukrainian sovereignty, from control over its military and weapons to Ukrainians' right to decide their politics and territory, said Mykhailo Podolyak, advisor to the head of the Presidential Office, in a commentary to RBC-Ukraine’s YouTube channel.
"They will sign a memorandum exactly as you would expect. That includes eliminating what they call the root cause of the war, which, in their view, means Ukraine must cease to exist. Of course, the primary root cause is Russia itself, which begins unprovoked expansions." Podolyak said.
He stressed that Russia could write into such a memorandum that Ukraine must:
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give up both domestic and foreign policy;
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guarantee it won’t join any defense alliances, not only NATO;
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guarantee that it will not have its army;
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absolutely refrain from receiving any weapons or investments in military production
"And military production must be reduced to the level of manufacturing pistols, and so on. Ukraine will have to guarantee that it will adjust its internal policies - language, religion, and most importantly, government - in coordination with the Russian Federation. In other words, it will have to sign a 'yarlyk for a service to the khan in Moscow' and to receive permission to form a government," noted the advisor to the head of the Presidential Office.
At the same time, he pointed out that Moscow may include in the memorandum not only the aforementioned demands, but also that Ukraine must give up its territories.
"Not just those that Russia has occupied militarily. Russia will insist there are additional territories it considers historical since the times of the Pechenegs, and therefore they also will have to be given to Russia somehow," he concluded.
Peace memorandum
During negotiations in Istanbul, the Ukrainian and Russian delegations agreed to present their visions for a ceasefire in written form.
During that meeting, the Russian side demanded that Ukraine withdraw its troops from four regions - Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson. Only then would Moscow consider a ceasefire.
However, on Monday, May 19, following a conversation with US President Donald Trump, Russian leader Vladimir Putin stated that it was necessary to determine the most effective ways to move toward peace.
Putin added that Russia is ready to work with Ukraine on a memorandum regarding a possible future peace agreement.
For more details on the conversation between Trump and Putin, read the material by RBC-Ukraine.
