The Voice News : ISTANBUL — At renewed peace talks with Ukraine, Russia presented a list of sweeping demands, including the surrender of additional Ukrainian territory and restrictions on the Ukrainian military, as conditions for ending the war that has raged for over three years.
According to a memorandum leaked to Russian media on June 2, the negotiations, held in Istanbul, highlighted Moscow’s unwillingness to compromise on its core war objectives. The talks, lasting barely an hour, marked only the second formal meeting between the two sides since March 2022.
Moscow’s Demands
Russia’s memorandum called for:
Recognition of Russian control over Crimea (annexed in 2014) and four additional occupied Ukrainian regions.
Ukrainian withdrawal from those territories.
A neutral status for Ukraine, ruling out NATO membership.
Legal protections for Russian speakers, including making Russian an official language.
A ban on glorifying Nazism—a claim Ukraine has long dismissed as propaganda.
Moscow also insisted on limiting the size of Ukraine’s military, and offered two ceasefire options—both of which Kyiv appears unlikely to accept:
- A complete Ukrainian withdrawal from Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson (regions Russia claims, but only partially controls).
- A halt in Ukraine’s military redeployments, foreign military aid, intelligence sharing, and satellite access. Kyiv would also have to lift martial law and hold elections within 100 days.
In contrast, Ukraine’s own peace roadmap, seen by Reuters, calls for:
No restrictions on its military capacity.
No recognition of Russian sovereignty over occupied territories.
Financial reparations from Moscow.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, who led the Ukrainian delegation, said Kyiv would review the Russian document but offered no immediate public response.
A Narrow Humanitarian Agreement
Despite the deep divisions, the two sides agreed to exchange prisoners of war—focusing on the youngest and most seriously injured—and to repatriate the bodies of 12,000 fallen soldiers.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan hailed the meeting as a positive step and expressed hope for a future summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump.
However, no progress was made toward a ceasefire. Kyiv and its Western allies, including the United States, continue to push for an immediate cessation of hostilities. Trump has warned that U.S. mediation efforts may be halted if neither side shows real intent to negotiate.
Ukraine’s Bold Counterstrike
As talks unfolded, the battlefield intensified. Ukraine claimed responsibility for launching 117 drones in a dramatic long-range operation codenamed “Spider’s Web”, targeting Russia’s strategic bomber fleet in Siberia and the Far North. Satellite imagery suggests the strike caused significant damage, although Moscow disputes the extent.
Western military analysts have described the strike—thousands of miles from the front lines—as one of Ukraine’s most audacious operations to date. These bombers form part of Russia’s nuclear “triad,” alongside submarine- and land-based missile systems.
The U.S. and UK governments said they were not notified beforehand. A Ukrainian source noted that Kyiv routinely withholds such information for operational security.
President Zelenskyy said the operation was necessary to demonstrate Ukraine’s resilience and effectiveness to its international partners.
“We are not surrendering. We reject all ultimatums,” Zelenskyy stated in an online briefing.
“But we do not seek war—we are forced to fight because the enemy refuses to stop.”
Outlook
Ukraine has proposed another round of peace talks before the end of June, though officials say only a direct meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy is likely to make real progress.
Meanwhile, tensions remain high as Russia advances on the battlefield and continues drone strikes. Despite calls for peace, both sides appear to be bracing for a prolonged conflict.