Negotiations between the Ukrainian and Russian delegations were held at the Dolmabahсe Palace in Istanbul. The Ukrainian delegation included:
- Defense minister Oleksii Reznikov;
- Advisor to the head of the presidential office Mykhailo Podoliak;
- The head of the Servant of the People faction, Davyd Arakhamiia;
- People’s deputy Andrii Kostin;
- People’s deputy Rustem Umerov;
- Deputy foreign minister Mykola Tochytskyi;
- Deputy head of the president’s office Kyrylo Tymoshenko;
- Deputy foreign minister Oleksandr Chalyi.
At the beginning of the meeting, the president of Turkey spoke. He attended the conversation of deliberation and called to stop the war, which benefits no one. And so, in the course of negotiations, Russia finally made concessions and showed some humanity.
In the first place, the Ukrainians insisted on ending the genocide of the Ukrainian population — the opening of green corridors and humanitarian zones. The plan maximum was a cease-fire in the country.
Success has been achieved on only two issues. The first success of the talks is the holding of negotiations in Turkey, but not in Belarus as before. The next movement on ending the war is the work on the format of countries' security. This question is complex, not yet signed by the parties. But the first reflections already voiced by Ukraine:
- The treaty on international security guarantees must be ratified by the parliaments of the states parties to the treaty after the holding of an all-Ukrainian referendum;
- An all-Ukrainian referendum is possible in peacetime, without weapons and occupation troops;
- Among the guarantors may be France, USA, Britain, China, and Russia. Also, it may be Turkey, Germany, Canada, Italy, Poland, and Israel. Other countries will be able to join.
- All guarantor countries should not prevent Ukraine from joining the European Union;
- International security guarantees will temporarily not apply to Donbas, Crimea, and Sevastopol, because it is a complex issue;
- The guarantors should provide Ukraine with weapons, military assistance and close its skies if the country is attacked again;
- Fixing the present Ukrainian status as a non-bloc and non-nuclear country.
The last paragraph assumes the neutrality of the country and includes:
- Refusal to deploy foreign military bases;
- Refusal to join military-political alliances;
- Military exercises on the territory of Ukraine will be conducted only with the consent of the guarantor countries.
Ukraine has transmitted these proposals to Russia and is waiting for their response. Russia has already stated that they have made some concessions to Ukraine. The Russian side also believes that the meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin could take place simultaneously with the signing of a peace treaty between the foreign ministers.
