Russia requires withdrawal of Ukrainian troops to ceasefire, Kiev’s authorities say

During a meeting held in Istanbul last Friday, 16, Russian representatives presented as a condition for a ceasefire to remove the Ukrainian forces from all regions currently claimed by Moscow. The information was provided to Reuters agency by a Ukrainian authority with direct knowledge of negotiations.

The meeting, based by the government of Türkiye, was the first face -to -face between Russian and Ukraine delegations since March 2022, when the Russian invasion on a large scale of the Ukrainian territory took place. The meeting lasted one hour and forty minutes and resulted in an agreement to exchange a thousand prisoners of war for each country. The date of the exchange of the exchange has not yet been disclosed.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky publicly criticized Moscow after a drone attack in the Northeast Sumy region of the country, which killed nine bus passengers.

“It was a deliberate murder of civilians,” he said. Zelensky defended the increase in international pressure on Moscow. “We need to press Russia to stop the murders. Without harder assessments, without further pressure, Russia will not seek real diplomacy.”

The Russian Ministry of Defense said the attack on Sumy targeted a military installation. In a statement, the folder reported that its troops advanced in eastern Ukraine, where they captured a new settlement.

According to the Ukrainian source, the Russian negotiators listed the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the Donetsk, Zaporizehzia, Kherson and Luhansk regions as a prerequisite for any ceasefire. These terms, the authority stated, exceed the proposals that were contained in a sketch by the Peace Agreement presented by the United States in the previous month, based on conversations with Moscow.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov commented on the statements attributed to the Ukrainian delegation. He stated that negotiations should occur “absolutely closed doors” and said the next steps expected include the exchange of prisoners and the continuity of conversations between the two sides.

According to Peskov, a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Zelensky “can occur” if there are certain previous agreements without detailing what these understandings would be.

Zelensky had proposed a direct meeting with Putin earlier this week, but there was no response from Kremlin.

Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his government will continue to act as a mediator in the conflict. Ancara hosted the conversations and claims to maintain dialogue with both sides.

Meanwhile, external pressures continue to influence negotiations. Former United States President Donald Trump criticized the continuity of the conflict, referring to the war as “this stupid war.” He warned that the US could stop acting as mediators if there is no visible progress in the negotiations.

After the meeting in Istanbul, the Ukrainian government intensified efforts with its allies to harden the posture against Moscow. In an interview with Reuters, United Kingdom Foreign Minister David Lammy stated: “Once again we see evasive on the Russian side and lack of will to seriously treat peace tension that is now needed in Ukraine.” He added, “What point do we say to Putin that is enough?”

France President Emmanuel Macron also criticized the results of the meeting, stating that the meeting in Istanbul did not bring concrete advances.

“Today, what do we have? Nothing,” he said. Macron added that he expects a firm response from Washington: “Faced with President Putin’s cynicism, I am sure President Trump, aware of the US counterpart, will react.”

The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, stated that the European Union prepares a new package of sanctions against Russia.

According to French authorities, the purpose of these measures would be to “suffocate” the Russian economy. However, European analysts doubt the effectiveness of new sanctions after more than three years of measures already implemented.

Trump’s statements about war have been seen by European diplomats as a factor of instability for the efforts to build a unified front.

On the eve of the meeting in Istanbul, the former US president had suggested that Zelensky should accept the Russian proposal for direct conversations. He also stated that there will be no advance in negotiations until he has a personal meeting with Putin.

Kremlin confirmed that Putin would be willing to meet Trump, but noted that such a summit would need to be carefully prepared. Russian authorities reported that since the meeting in Istanbul, there was no contact with representatives from the United States.

Negotiations follow without formal resumption forecast. The situation remains undefined, while both sides maintain distant positions on the terms of a possible ceasefire agreement.