The Russia-Ukraine Peace Proposal Is Contrary, Kremlin: A Lot Of Work Must Be Done

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov (Sergei Bobylev POOL TASS)

JAKARTA - The terms of peace officially exchanged between Russia and Ukraine are basically still far different, so the negotiating team responsible for reaching the deal has a lot of work to do, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

"There is a draft of our memorandum, and there is a draft memorandum of Ukraine. We will exchange views and negotiate on these two proposals, which are currently diametrically contradictory. There is still a lot of work to be done," Peskov said, quoted by TASS on July 22.

The Russian memorandum, which was handed over to the Ukrainian delegation during negotiations in Istanbul, established Kyiv neutrality and included a ban on any foreign military activity in Ukrainian territory.

The first part of the document defines "the basic parameters of the final settlement." The second part, which focuses on the terms of the ceasefire, presents two possible scenarios. One of the requirements listed is the amnesty for Kyiv's "political resilience", along with the release of detained soldiers and civilians. While the third section outlines the sequence of measures and implementation schedules.

As previously reported, Russia-Ukraine negotiations are likely to be held this week, with Istanbul, Turkey is expected to host.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the Ukrainian delegation had invited Russia to hold the next round of negotiations this week.

"Secretary of the Umerov National Security and Defense Council said he had invited the Russian side to hold the next meeting next week. Negotiations need to be accelerated," he said in a video speech posted on his Telegram channel.

A source familiar with the negotiations said Istanbul would remain the host of the latest rounds of Russia-Ukraine negotiations after two rounds of previous negotiations.

"Yes, Istanbul is an acceptable place," said the source, answering questions about the place of negotiations.

According to him, the proposal was submitted by Rustem Umerov, secretary of the Ukraine National Security and Defense Council as well as head of the Kyiv delegation to the Istanbul negotiations.

However, the date of the new round of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine is still under discussion and will be announced at the right time, a source said Monday.

It is known, Kremlin officials previously said several times that they were waiting for a proposal from the Ukrainian side regarding the continuation of negotiations with Ukraine.

This year, the two countries have held two rounds of live negotiations, the first at the Dolmabache Palace on May 16 and the second at the Ciragan Palace on June 2, both in Istanbul, Turkey, to end the war between the two countries.

After the initial negotiations in June, Russia and Ukraine agreed to hold the next round of negotiations. Peskov said Moscow hopes that the next round date can be agreed upon soon.