Russian Media Publish Text of Memorandum Handed to Kyiv in Istanbul

Russian news agencies have published the text of the memorandum on the “settlement of the Ukrainian crisis” that was handed over to Ukraine during the recent talks in Istanbul, reports Orda.kz.

The document includes two proposed options for a ceasefire.

The main parameters of a final settlement outlined in the document include:

• Recognition of the incorporation of Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions into the Russian Federation, and the complete withdrawal of the Ukrainian Armed Forces from these territories
  
• Ukraine’s renunciation of membership in military alliances and coalitions
  
• Granting official status to the Russian language
  
• A ban on “the glorification and propaganda of Nazism and neo-Nazism,” and the dissolution of nationalist parties
  
• The lifting of all existing sanctions between Russia and Ukraine and a refusal to introduce new ones
  
• A waiver of mutual claims related to damage caused by military actions

For a ceasefire to take effect, Ukraine must either withdraw its troops from the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions or implement a set of measures referred to as the “package proposal.” 

This includes:

• Termination of mobilization
  
• A ban on redeploying the Ukrainian Armed Forces, except for movements related to troop withdrawal to an agreed distance
  
• A prohibition on the receipt and deployment of nuclear weapons in Ukraine
  
• An end to Western arms deliveries, including the transfer of intelligence
  
• The organization of elections in Ukraine followed by the signing of a peace treaty. Kyiv would need to announce the dates for presidential and parliamentary elections, which must take place no later than 100 days after martial law is lifted
  
• An amnesty for “political prisoners” and the release of detained military personnel and civilians

Original Author: Oksana Matvienko