The Russian and Ukrainian delegations wrapped up the first day of talks in Istanbul on Tuesday. The talks took place in the Dolmabahce Turkish presidential office and lasted more than three hours, TASS reports.
The Russian delegation received a clearly phrased position and proposals from Ukraine, which will be studied and reported to the country’s leadership, the head of the Russian delegation, Presidential Aide Vladimir Medinsky, told reporters on Tuesday following Russian-Ukrainian talks in Istanbul.
"We have received proposals from Ukraine for consideration and a clearly phrased position to be included into the treaty," he said. "These proposals will be studied in the near future and reported to the president and we will give a response."
Medinsky said the talks were "constructive."
Russia has received Ukraine’s proposals, which demonstrate that it wants a neutral and nuclear-free status, Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky stated.
"We have received Ukraine’s written proposals confirming its striving toward a neutral, off-block and nuclear-free status, with a refusal from the production and deployment of all types of weapons of mass destruction, including chemical and bacteriological weapons, and a ban on the deployment of foreign military and foreign troops. We have received these written proposals," he said.
Security guarantees do not apply to Crimea and Donbas, that is, Ukraine refuses to return them by military means. This does not coincide with Moscow's position, but is based on Kyiv’s approach.
Ukraine refuses to join military alliances, to deploy foreign military bases on its territory without guarantors, including Russia, as well as to conduct military exercises.
Russia does not object to Ukraine's membership in EU.
Kyiv’s proposals envisage that Ukraine will be proclaimed a neutral state under guarantees of a number of guarantor nations of its security, Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky said.
"We have received the Ukrainian delegation’s proposals. As far as I understand, they were agreed with Ukraine’s leadership. In brief, they are: Ukraine is proclaimed a permanently neutral state under international legal guarantees for the purpose of the implementation of its off-bloc and nuclear-free status. Further on, a list of Ukraine’s security guarantor nations is given," he said.
Russia suggests a meeting between Russian and Ukrainian Presidents, Vladimir Putin and Vladimir Zelensky, be organized concurrently with the initialing of a bilateral treaty by the two countries’ foreign ministers, Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky stated.
"After today’s meaningful conversation, we agreed and suggest a solution, under which a meeting between the heads of state is possible concurrently with the initialing of the treaty by the foreign ministers, the more so as during this initialing and consideration of the treaty’s details, it will be possible to discuss various political nuances and details," he said after the Russian-Ukrainian talks in Istanbul.
"So, if the work on the treaty and a required compromise proceeds swiftly, the possibility of peace will be much closer," he added.
According to Medinsky, the Russia side said earlier that such a meeting would be possible when a treaty drafted by the negotiators and foreign ministers of the two countries was ready for signing. "The format was as follows: first, a treaty is drafted, then it is approved by the negotiators, signed by foreign ministers at a personal meeting, and only after that a possible meeting between the heads of state is organized to sign this treaty," he said. "It is not a simple matter, the more so as it could be a multilateral meeting involving guarantor nations of peace and security in Ukraine."
