Peace pitch or PR stunt? Ukraine calls Russia truce memo as 'test'
Photo: Heorhii Tykhyi, spokesperson for Ukraine's Foreign Ministry (Vitalii Nosach/RBC-Ukraine)
The leadership of Russia, in its proposals for a memorandum on a possible future ceasefire and peace with Ukraine, will be forced to demonstrate the Kremlin’s true intentions regarding the war, according to a statement by Heorhii Tykhyi, spokesperson for Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, during a national TV marathon.
On process delaying
Speaking about the Kremlin-initiated memorandum on a possible ceasefire, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson explained what the Russian side is trying to do.
"They are trying to drag out time, turning this into an endless story. And even now, this memorandum… Does it really take a week to prepare a memorandum?" said Tykhyi.
On 'test' for Kremlin
According to the spokesperson, this will be a "test for the Russians," as the Russian leadership will now "show the whole world what they include in this memorandum."
"If it’s basically the same set of Istanbul ‘wish lists’ from 2022, then… They are now at a crossroads, deciding what to do. Either they will show they are unreasonable and put forward maximalist demands that everyone understands no one will accept, or they will try to show some kind of constructiveness," he said.
On document's vision, process, and venues
On the question of what the document should look like, Tykhyi noted that currently the Ukrainian side, together with partner countries, "is waiting for the Russian vision."
"They need to come forward with memorandum proposals," the Foreign Ministry spokesperson emphasized.
He gave a positive answer when asked if it had been agreed who should present their proposals first.
"Of course, the process is defined. Now everyone is waiting for Russian proposals, which we don’t know when they will come. The preparation has been going on for a week already. But we supposedly heard (Russian Foreign Minister Sergey) Lavrov say they might deliver it on Monday. When they do, we will analyze it and present our own proposals," Tykhyi said.
The spokesperson also added that regarding possible venues, the Ukrainian side "has no problems."
"The question is whether the leaders meet. Our president is ready for this, but (Vladimir) Putin avoids it," he concluded.
Kremlin initiative on memorandum and Ukraine's reaction
On May 19, Vladimir Putin, after a conversation with US President Donald Trump, said that Russia was ready to work with Ukraine on a memorandum about a possible future peace treaty.
According to the Kremlin chief, he agreed with the American leader "that Russia will propose and is ready to work with the Ukrainian side on a memorandum regarding a possible future peace agreement, defining a number of positions."
After that, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reacted to the initiative, noting that Trump and Putin discussed a memorandum that could be adopted bilaterally. The Ukrainian leader added that this memorandum could then "lead to a roadmap that brings the war to an end, to a treaty about it."
At the same time, the spokesman for Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Peskov, said that there "are no and cannot be any" specific deadlines for preparing the memorandum with Ukraine.
On May 23, President Zelenskyy noted that Russia had failed to prepare the ceasefire memorandum with Ukraine within a week. He sharply criticized Moscow’s delays.
Additionally, today, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said that Moscow is preparing a draft document for Kyiv outlining its demands for peace. It is allegedly planned to be handed over after the completion of the 1000-for-1000 prisoner exchange.
In turn, on May 23, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said that the Ukrainian side is preparing its vision for a ceasefire and is waiting for proposals from Russia.
