Russia Rejects 30-day Cease-fire At Istanbul Talks

Moscow also refused to cancel the Putin-Zelensky meeting.

Moscow's representatives at talks in Istanbul on June 2 rejected the Ukrainian side's proposal for a 30-day ceasefire without additional conditions, the head of Ukraine's Defense Ministry and head of the delegation Rustem Umerov reported following the meeting.

The minister also said Russia did not agree on a personal meeting between Presidents Vladimir Zelensky and Vladimir Putin. A Turkish diplomatic source also told RIA Novosti.

Russia and Ukraine managed to agree only on a mutual exchange of prisoners, Umerov noted, as well as on the mutual return of bodies of dead military personnel according to the "6,000 by 6,000" formula during the talks, which lasted about an hour. "We agreed to exchange all for all seriously wounded and seriously ill prisoners of war. The second category is young soldiers who are between 18 and 25 years old. All for all," he said. The Ukrainian delegation, according to Umerov, suggested that Russia organize another round of talks by the end of June.

In addition, Ukraine has handed Russia an official list of Ukrainian children trapped on Russian territory who should be returned. This was announced by the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak, UNIAN reports. This requirement was included in the Ukrainian memorandum with the terms of the ceasefire, which Kiev handed over to Moscow a few days before the meeting in Istanbul. In response, the head of the Russian delegation said that Ukraine should not "put on a show for childless European old ladies," The Economist correspondent Oliver Carroll wrote in X, citing an interlocutor with knowledge of the exchanges.

According to Axios, which quotes a Ukrainian official, Russia handed its memorandum to Ukraine only on Monday, the day of the meeting. The Kremlin's position outlined in it has not changed. In particular, it demands the withdrawal of the AFU from the partially occupied regions of Ukraine.

The Russian side asked before the start of the talks in Istanbul that US representatives not attend the meeting, Carroll reported, citing a source in the Ukrainian delegation. The same information was cited by Ukrainian Foreign Ministry speaker Georgy Tykhiy in comments to Novini.LIVE. "In our opinion, the Americans should be present in the room. But the Russians insisted that they should not be there. What they are hiding is a question for them," he commented.

You can support the website Charter97.org

MULTI-CURRENCY ACCOUNT FOR ASSISTANCE:

Bank's name: Bank Millennium S.A.
Address: ul. Stanislawa Zaryna, 2A, 02-593, Warszawa
IBAN: PL97116022020000000216711123
SWIFT: BIGBPLPW
Name of the account holder: Fundacja “KARTA ‘97”
Purpose/title of payment: Donation for statuary aims

You can contact us by the e-mail charter97@gmail.com