It took Russia several weeks to deliver a “memorandum” outlining conditions for a ceasefire in Ukraine, along with another “memorandum” detailing key directives for a comprehensive treaty. This ongoing 3-year conflict is unsurprising to most, as it outlines the Kremlin’s long-standing maximalist demands, deemed unacceptable by Kyiv and its Western allies.
Before Monday’s direct peace talks in Istanbul, Ukraine established its negotiation position, indicating a readiness to declare a 30-day ceasefire imminently, without the conditions set forth by US President Donald Trump. Kyiv reaffirmed its stance against relinquishing any aspirations for NATO membership or acknowledging the annexation of the Russian territories.
Both parties have delineated mutually exclusive red lines that hinder rapid negotiations.
Moscow’s published demands in Russian media indicate that President Vladimir Putin is determined to realize Ukraine’s objectives since the invasion commenced on February 24, 2022.
Key aspects of the Russian and Ukrainian documents include:
Vladimir Medinsky, head of the Russian delegation, speaks to the media at Sillagan Palace after the Ukraine-Russia peace negotiations held in Istanbul, Turkey on Monday, June 2, 2025 (AP Photo/Emra Garel, Files)
Moscow’s conditions for a 30-day ceasefire
Russia has proposed two avenues to establish a 30-day ceasefire.
The first requires Ukraine to withdraw its forces from Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson—regions that were illegally annexed in September 2022 but remain incompletely controlled by Moscow.
The second option, referred to as the “package” proposal, demands Ukraine halt its mobilization efforts and freeze the supply of Western weaponry.
Furthermore, the document calls for Ukraine to begin demobilizing its forces, cease troop movements, and eliminate any presence of foreign troops on its territory.
The “package” option suggests Ukraine ending martial law, conducting elections, and subsequently signing a comprehensive peace treaty.
Russia’s conditions for a comprehensive peace treaty
The Russian documents stipulate that peace conditions should encompass the “international legal recognition” of Moscow’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and the “international legal recognition” of the 2022 annexation of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia.
The upcoming peace treaty would mandate Ukraine to adopt a neutral stance between Russia and the West, alongside waiving ambitions to join NATO. The document also requires Ukraine to limit its military size, recognize Russian as an official language equivalent to Ukrainian, prohibit “the glorification and propaganda of Nazism and neo-Nazism,” disband nationalist groups, and eliminate conditions reflecting Putin’s objectives.
The unfounded assertion that neo-Nazi factions were influencing Ukrainian politics under Jewish President Volodymyr Zelensky has been vehemently rejected by Kyiv and its Western partners.
From Russia’s perspective, a comprehensive peace treaty must include the lifting of all sanctions and penalties, abandonment of any claims for wartime reparations, resumption of trade and communication, and reestablishment of diplomatic relations. Additionally, it suggests that the peace treaty should receive endorsement from the UN Security Council.
Ukraine’s ceasefire stance remains firm
The memorandum of understanding submitted by Ukraine to Moscow, and shared with its allies prior to consultations, emphasized the necessity of a complete and unconditional 30-day ceasefire to lay the groundwork for peace talks.
It reiterated Ukraine’s unwavering rejection of Russia’s demands for neutral status, viewing such a stipulation as an infringement on Ukrainian sovereignty, and confirmed that any pursuit of NATO membership would depend on collective agreement within the alliance.
It underscored Kyiv’s refusal to accept limitations on military size and other parameters, including the expulsion of foreign troops from its territory.
The Ukrainian memorandum also dismissed any recognition of Russia’s territorial claims, characterizing the current contact line as merely a starting point for negotiations.
Furthermore, it highlighted the need for international security guarantees to facilitate the implementation of peace accords and avert future aggression.
Ukraine’s peace proposal called for a complete prisoner exchange, including all deported and unlawfully evacuated Ukrainian children.
It left the possibility open for the gradual lifting of certain sanctions against Russia, contingent upon adherence to the agreement.
Incompatible positions hinder peace progress
The fierce and contradictory demands leave little hope for rapid advancements in negotiations.
By holding steadfast to maximalist demands, Moscow seems to remain unfazed by the ongoing threats of sanctions from the West or other pressing demands to make meaningful concessions.
Some analysts interpret the Russian memorandum as an effort for Moscow to formalize its negotiating position.
“Even unsigned documents provide the Kremlin with a stronger diplomatic standing,” stated Sergei Poletaev, a defense analyst based in Moscow.
Tatiana Stanovaya from the Carnegie Russian Eurasian Centre observed that the document reflects Putin’s primary goal of establishing a “friendly” Ukraine devoid of any relationships with comprehensive military alliances or Western partners.
She also noted that Russian documents present Ukraine with a choice between two options, as Moscow understands that Ukraine’s withdrawal from the four regions “is not feasible” and intends to steer Kyiv towards the second option as a central strategy. Simultaneously, the Moscow memorandum seems to suggest that “Russia is open to discussing the possibility of relinquishing parts of the annexed territory that it does not control.”
Stanovaya remarked that Moscow’s maximalist demands imply that “even if bilateral interactions proceed, the hostilities will persist.”
Source: apnews.com