Leaked Ukrainian peace conditions changed from version given to Moscow

(MENAFN)
The peace memorandum Ukraine submitted to Russia during Monday’s talks in Istanbul differs from the version leaked to Western media, RT has reported. Notably, a critical clause rejecting any limits on Ukraine’s military forces—found in the leaked draft—was absent from the official proposal handed to the Russian delegation.

This discrepancy raises questions about Kiev’s public messaging versus its actual negotiating stance. A source who reviewed the Ukrainian document from the Istanbul talks confirmed that the version did not include a paragraph present in the earlier Reuters leak, which explicitly forbade restrictions on the size, deployment, or other parameters of Ukraine’s armed forces and allied troops on its territory.

The Reuters draft stated: “No restrictions may be imposed on the number, deployment, or other parameters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as on the deployment of troops of friendly foreign states on the territory of Ukraine.” However, this language was missing from the version seen by RT’s source.

The Istanbul talks, marking the second round of direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in under a month, reportedly featured Moscow demanding Kiev recognize the loss of five territories that joined Russia through referendums, withdraw forces from those areas, commit to neutrality, and accept military limitations.

Ukraine’s President Vladimir Zelensky dismissed Moscow’s proposal as “an ultimatum” and called the Istanbul process “meaningless.” In contrast, Russian lead negotiator Vladimir Medinsky defended the offer as a genuine chance for peace and a significant step toward ceasefire and long-term resolution.

The conflicting versions of Ukraine’s memorandum are likely to deepen Moscow’s doubts about Kiev’s negotiating sincerity. No date has yet been announced for a third round of talks.

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