Russia Lays Out Absurd Ceasefire Demands: Ukrainian Withdrawal, Neutrality, and Elections
Ukraine | June 3, 2025, Tuesday // 06:50| views
On the evening of June 2, Russian state outlets RIA Novosti and TASS released the contents of a “memorandum of settlement” allegedly handed to the Ukrainian side during recent negotiations. The document sets out Moscow’s conditions for a ceasefire, focusing on sweeping demands that would reshape Ukraine’s political, military, and territorial stance.
One of the core requirements is the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the occupied regions of Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Luhansk, and Kherson. Alongside this, Russia insists on Ukraine declaring neutrality - specifically, not joining military alliances and banning the presence of foreign military units on its territory. The proposal also includes provisions aimed at limiting Ukraine’s military capabilities, such as reducing the size of its armed forces and prohibiting the possession of nuclear weapons.
Other points touch on internal Ukrainian affairs. The document demands the disbandment of so-called “nationalist formations,” legal recognition of Russian as an official language, and protection of the Russian-speaking population. Russia also calls for lifting all sanctions, blocking any future restrictions, dropping mutual legal claims over wartime damages, and removing limitations on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate.
Diplomatic and economic relations are also addressed. The proposal outlines a phased restoration of ties between Kyiv and Moscow, including through third-party countries. The Kremlin has even outlined two different scenarios for implementing the ceasefire. The first envisions a phased withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the four occupied oblasts. The second - described as a “package proposal” - demands a halt to troop redeployments, an end to mobilization, the start of demobilization, and a full stop to foreign military support, including weapons, satellite data, and reconnaissance. It further seeks a ban on foreign troops or equipment inside Ukraine, amnesty for political prisoners on both sides, and guarantees that Ukraine will not carry out sabotage within Russian territory.
In a notable twist, the Kremlin's demands also call for setting dates for Ukraine’s presidential and parliamentary elections. According to the document, the votes should be held within 100 days after martial law is lifted. As an initial gesture, Russia is proposing a short ceasefire - lasting two to three days - to allow the collection of bodies from the grey zone and the repatriation of around 6,000 fallen Ukrainian soldiers.
The release of the “memorandum” follows a second round of talks between Ukrainian and Russian delegations, held in Istanbul on June 2, which reportedly lasted just over an hour. The only concrete outcome from that meeting was an agreement to proceed with a new prisoner exchange, particularly involving severely wounded and young soldiers.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky strongly rejected Russia’s ceasefire proposal, calling it a cynical ploy rather than a genuine peace initiative. Speaking at a briefing, he said the idea of a limited, temporary ceasefire - reportedly to recover bodies from the battlefield - was an absurd contradiction. “I think they are idiots,” he remarked, “because, in principle, a ceasefire is meant to ensure that there are no casualties.”
Zelensky described the Russian offer as nothing more than an attempt to pause the conflict momentarily, likely to delay or deflect new sanctions from the United States. He urged Washington to push forward with a new sanctions package to pressure Moscow into halting its aggression. “They don’t understand any other way,” he said, adding that he believes such a step would be “fair.”
The Ukrainian president also mentioned that Ukraine had supported a full ceasefire proposed by the US three months ago, implying that the Kremlin’s latest maneuver is far from a genuine shift in approach.
In addition, at a press briefing on Monday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that President Donald Trump has not ruled out attending a possible high-level meeting with both President Zelensky and Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Leavitt said Trump remains “open to” participating in such a summit if it helps move the war toward a negotiated conclusion.
She emphasized that Trump wants both sides to come to the table and noted that their recent encounter took place at his urging. According to Leavitt, “Too many people have died,” and Trump has made it clear, both publicly and privately, that he wants the conflict to end through diplomatic channels.
Efforts to organize a broader meeting are already underway. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said earlier that Ankara is working to bring together the leaders of the US, Ukraine, Russia, and Türkiye, possibly in Istanbul or Ankara. Erdoğan’s Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan, had also floated the idea of such a summit in previous weeks. On Monday, Zelensky expressed his support for the Turkish proposal, signaling Kyiv’s openness to participate.
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