Zelenskyy says Russia admits its memorandum is ultimatum
Photo: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
The Russian delegation openly stated that its memorandum is an ultimatum for Ukraine. Moscow knows that Kyiv will not accept such conditions, stated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in an interview with the Hungarian outlet Válasz Online.
The head of state emphasized that the Ukrainian memorandum on a ceasefire is the basis for negotiations. The Ukrainian delegation in Istanbul has a mandate to discuss humanitarian issues, such as prisoners of war, abducted children, or a ceasefire.
"However, they do not have a mandate to discuss Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. This is our own constitutional matter," Zelenskyy said.
The President emphasized that his task is to negotiate with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the territories.
Zelenskyy said that Ukraine is not ready to recognize the occupied territories as Russian at the legal level under any circumstances. If Ukraine is provided with adequate security guarantees, territorial issues can be resolved diplomatically rather than militarily.
"We want to end the war, but this requires the will of both parties. If the other party is not ready for this, it will always come up with something. They even told our delegation: we know that our memorandum is an ultimatum, and you will not accept it. Thus, the question is not the quality of the Istanbul format, but what to do about the Russians' lies," he added.
Therefore, as the head of state noted, Ukraine needs strong mediators - in this case, Russia will not be able to back out of the agreements.
"The United States does not appear to be a strong mediator at the moment: the Russians told them not to be at the table, and they simply walked away. Why? Because of their soft policy towards Russia," the President said.
Russia's memorandum
During a meeting in Istanbul on June 2, the Russian delegation handed over its memorandum to Ukraine through Türkiye.
In the document, Moscow set out its demands to Kyiv for a ceasefire or an end to the war. The Kremlin wants Ukraine to voluntarily transfer to Russia not only the occupied territories, but also those that remain under the control of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, namely, four regions.
As noted by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, such ultimatums from Russia are unsuitable for diplomacy.
