Zelenskyy criticizes Russia's ceasefire memorandum: Political spam and PR for domestic audience
Photo: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (GettyImages)
The memorandum of the Russian Federation, which was handed over to Ukraine during the negotiations in Istanbul, "was prepared by low-level individuals," according to a statement by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
According to him, the memorandum violates the 1969 Vienna Convention, specifically the right to conduct international negotiations, as the third point of this "document" calls for a rejection of future international talks.
"Once again, I emphasize — low-level individuals prepared the document. The team representing the Russian side in dialogue with Ukraine is not of the appropriate level. They not only lack the authority to make decisions, but also lack the necessary knowledge about international law and Ukrainian legislation," the president stated.
In Zelenskyy's opinion, if Russia is asking Ukraine to withdraw from any alliances, then Russia should also withdraw from the CSTO (Collective Security Treaty Organization).
Another point in the Russian memorandum claims that Ukraine is a non-nuclear state and includes a prohibition on the use of nuclear weapons.
"This just looks like spam — and that’s what it is, an attempt to spam, to make it seem like they’re doing something. It seems aimed at an inexperienced domestic audience and political PR. Everyone knows that we do not deploy any such weapons — we don’t have them. Since 1994, in the context of the Budapest Memorandum, we’ve been a party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. Our status is absolutely clear," Zelenskyy said.
He also noted that, on the contrary, it is Russia that "should not be spreading nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus."
"As for the Russian language — everyone knows that we have only one state language, and that is Ukrainian. Their repeated ‘concern’ for the Russian-speaking population is strange, considering they are destroying regions that were, in large part, Russian-speaking. So once again, this looks like bloody PR from the Russian side," he emphasized.
Peace talks in Istanbul
On Monday, June 2, the second round of peace talks between Ukraine and the Russian Federation took place in Istanbul. Ahead of the meeting, both sides were expected to present their versions of peace memorandums. However, the Russian delegation handed over its document only during the negotiations.
Later, Russian media published a photo of the document that Russia allegedly submitted to Ukraine. In the memorandum, Russia put forward ultimatum-style demands to Ukraine, including the renunciation of certain territories.
You can read all the details of the second round of negotiations in Istanbul at the following link.
