Ukrainian proposals for June 2 talks with Russia in Istanbul
FILE PHOTO: Rescuers work at a site of a trolleybus depot, hit by Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kharkiv, Ukraine May 30, 2025. REUTERS/Sofiia Gatilova/File Photo
Ukrainian proposals for June 2 talks with Russia in Istanbul
KYIV - Reuters has seen the text of the peace proposals that Ukrainian negotiators plan to present to the Russian side at peace talks scheduled to take place on June 2 in Istanbul.
The text of the Ukrainian document is published in full with no changes.
Ukraine-Russia Negotiations Framework
I. Key Principles of the Agreement and the Negotiation Process
• Full and unconditional ceasefire in the sky, on land and at sea as a necessary background and prerequisite for peace negotiations.
• Confidence-building measures – addressing humanitarian issues: unconditionally return all deported and illegally displaced
Ukrainian children. Exchange of all prisoners (the 'all for all'
principle). Release by Russia of all civilian hostages.
• Non-repetition of aggression: The aim of the negotiations is to restore a permanent basis for lasting peace and security and to ensure that aggression does not occur again.
• Security guarantees and engagement of the international
community: Ukraine must receive robust security guarantees. The parties will invite the international community to participate in the negotiations and provide guarantees to ensure the implementation of the agreements.
• Sovereignty: Ukraine is not forced to be neutral. It can choose to be part of the Euro-Atlantic community and move towards EU membership. Ukraine's membership in NATO depends on
consensus within the Alliance. No restrictions may be imposed on the number, deployment, or other parameters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as on the deployment of troops of friendly foreign states on the territory of Ukraine.
• Territorial issues: Territorial gains made by Russia since February 2014 are not recognized by the international community. The contact line is the starting point for negotiations. Territory issues are discussed only after a full and unconditional ceasefire.
• Sanctions: Some sanctions may be lifted from Russia, but in stages and only gradually, with a mechanism for resuming sanctions if necessary (snapback). Frozen Russian sovereign assets are used for reconstruction or remain frozen until reparations are paid.
• Implementation: Agree on a clear, balanced and achievable roadmap for implementation and enforcement of the agreements.
II. Next step – agreeing ceasefire and agenda of the leaders'
meeting
• After the meeting in Istanbul, the parties continue the talks which shall focus on: (1) full and unconditional ceasefire: its
modalities and monitoring; (2) confidence building measures; (3)
preparation, agreeing agenda and structure of future leaders' negotiations on key topics.
• Negotiations to be held with the U.S. and Europe participating.
III. Ceasefire
• Full and unconditional ceasefire in the sky, on land and at sea at least for 30 days (with the possibility of rolling extensions every 30 days) as a necessary background and prerequisite for peace negotiations.
• Ceasefire monitoring, led by the US and supported by third
countries.
IV. Confidence-building measures
• After successful exchange of PoWs after Istanbul talks, the
parties continue the exchange process for all prisoners of war
('all for all' principle).
• Agreement on unconditional return by the Russian Federation
of all deported and displaced Ukrainian children, and release by
Russia of all civilian prisoners. These measures should include all categories of persons listed, starting from February 2014.
V. Leaders' meeting
• The leaders of Ukraine and Russia meet to agree on key
aspects of final peace settlement.
• Key topics of peace agreement to be agreed by the leaders:
1) Permanent and complete cessation of hostilities:
conditions, monitoring, sanctions for violations
2) Security guarantees and non-repetition of aggression
3) Territorial issues
4) Economy, compensation, reconstruction
5) Penalties for breach of agreements
6) Conclusion of a final peace agreement REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
38 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Chinese firms warn EU procurement curb could hurt trade ties
The dispute threatens to add another irritant to relations between Beijing and the EU. PHOTO: REUTERS BEIJING – A Chinese business lobby group warned that EU actions to curb access of the country's medical device makers to government contracts in the bloc will hurt trade ties. The China Chamber of Commerce to the EU expressed 'profound disappointment' over the EU's use of a trade tool to limit Chinese companies' participation in public procurements, according to a statement from the Chinese group on June 2. 'Its targeted application against Chinese enterprises sends a troubling signal – not only adding new complexity to China-EU economic and trade relations, but also contradicting the EU's stated principles of openness, fairness, and non-discrimination in market access,' said the organisation, whose members include the Bank of China, Cosco Shipping Holdings and BYD. The dispute threatens to add another irritant to relations just as Beijing seeks to shore up ties with the EU, positioning itself as a more reliable partner as US President Donald Trump alienates the bloc over issues from tariffs to defence. Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao is due to meet with EU trade officials early in June in Paris, where he may address the bloc's trade grievances, including a lack of fair access to China's own procurement market. European leaders will travel to Beijing for a summit in July with their Chinese counterparts. The EU curb represented the first use of its International Procurement Instrument, a 2022 law that's meant to promote reciprocity in access to public procurement markets. It allows the EU's executive arm to impose various restrictions on firms seeking to participate in procurements, ranging from score adjustments in tenders to an outright ban from contracts. The EU launched an investigation into China's procurement of medical devices in April 2024, with the probe finding in January that Beijing discriminated against foreign firms. Consultations failed to find alternative solutions, Bloomberg previously reported. The Chinese commerce chamber argued that market reciprocity must be based on 'an accurate understanding of historical and practical realities'. 'For years, European medical device companies have enjoyed significant access to the Chinese market, playing a key role in supporting the modernisation of China's healthcare system and achieving substantial growth,' it said. 'The EU's current decision fails to acknowledge this context and undermines the spirit of balanced engagement and mutual benefit.' BLOOMBERG Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
39 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Top retired Chinese general Xu Qiliang dies of illness: state media
FILE PHOTO: Xu Qiliang (L), vice Chairman of China's Central Military Commission, salutes China's President Xi Jinping (C) during the closing ceremony of the Chinese National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People, in Beijing, March 13, 2014. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon (CHINA - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY)/File Photo FILE PHOTO: China's Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission Xu Qiliang arrives for a welcome dinner at the Xiangshan Forum in Beijing, China October 20, 2019. REUTERS/Jason Lee/File Photo FILE PHOTO: Xu Qiliang, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, attends the second plenary session of the National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China May 25, 2020. REUTERS/Thomas Peter/File Photo BEIJING - Top Chinese general Xu Qiliang, a close ally of President Xi Jinping who was the former vice chair of the powerful Central Military Commission, died of illness at age 75 on Monday in Beijing, state media reported. Xu served two consecutive terms on the Communist Party's highest military command body between 2012 and 2022, as Xi came to power. Before that, he spent decades in the People's Liberation Army (PLA) air force, rising to Air Force Commander in 2007 after a stint in the PLA General Staff Department. Xu was described as an "outstanding member of the Communist Party" and an "outstanding leader of the People's Liberation Army" in a short obituary published on Monday by state news agency Xinhua. He was the first Central Military Commission (CMC) vice chair not to have been from the land forces, a sign of Beijing's growing emphasis on different branches of the military as the PLA pursues combat integration and modernisation. He emerged seemingly unscathed by the anti-corruption campaign targeting the highest ranks of the PLA soon after Xi came into office, which took down his predecessors Xu Caihou and Guo Boxiong, both vice-chairs of the CMC. China's military has undergone a renewed anti-corruption purge since last year, with over a dozen PLA generals including two former defence ministers and a serving CMC member, Miao Hua, removed or suspended from their posts. Born into a peasant family in eastern China's Shandong province, Xu joined the PLA in 1966 at the beginning of the Cultural Revolution, a decade-long period of turmoil spearheaded by Mao Zedong. He was a strong advocate of military modernisation, helping transform the air force from a reliance on outdated equipment to domestically developed stealth fighters and amphibian assault ships. Xu was commander of an air force unit in Fuzhou, Fujian province, while Xi was the city's Communist Party chief in the early 1990s. It is during this period that the men were reported to have become close. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Business Times
an hour ago
- Business Times
US pushes countries for best offers by Wednesday as tariff deadline looms
[PHILADELPHIA] The Trump administration wants countries to provide their best offer on trade negotiations by Wednesday (Jun 4) as officials seek to accelerate talks with multiple partners ahead of a self-imposed deadline in just five weeks, according to a draft letter to negotiating partners seen by Reuters. The draft, from the office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), provides a window into how US President Donald Trump plans to bring to a close unwieldy negotiations with dozens of countries that kicked off on Apr 9 when he paused his 'Liberation Day' tariffs for 90 days until Jul 8 after stock, bond and currency markets revolted over the sweeping nature of the levies. The document suggests an urgency within the administration to complete deals against its own tight deadline. While officials such as White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett have repeatedly promised that several agreements were nearing completion, so far only one agreement has been reached with a major US trading partner: Britain. Even that limited pact was more akin to a framework for ongoing talks than a final deal. In the draft, the US is asking countries to list their best proposals in a number of key areas, including tariff and quota offers for the purchase of US industrial and agricultural products and plans to remedy any non-tariff barriers. Other requested items include any commitments on digital trade and economic security, along with country-specific commitments, according to the letter. The US will evaluate the responses within days and offer 'a possible landing zone' that could include a reciprocal tariff rate, according to the letter. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up It was unclear which countries would receive the letter, but it was directed at those with active negotiations that included meetings and exchanges of documents. Washington has been engaged in such talks with the European Union, Japan, Vietnam and India, among others. A USTR official said trade talks were ongoing. 'Productive negotiations with many key trading partners continue at a rapid pace. It is in all parties' interest to take stock of progress and assess any next steps.' 'Regardless of ongoing litigation' Tiffany Smith, vice-president of global trade policy at the National Foreign Trade Council, welcomed the USTR moves. 'We are encouraged that USTR is moving negotiations ahead as quickly as they can,' she said, adding that trade deals that removed barriers for US companies abroad and lowered US tariffs would be 'a win-win if they are done in a way that returns predictability and stability to trade relationships'. Trump's ambitious – and often frenetic – tariff policy is a pillar of his 'America First' economic agenda as he seeks to reshape US trade relationships, reduce trade deficits and protect American industries. Republican lawmakers are also banking on tariffs to add to federal revenue and offset the cost of the tax cut legislation now working its way through Congress. Trump's tariff policies have taken investors on a rollercoaster ride. In May, US stocks held their biggest rally of any month since November 2023, but that was after global indexes had cratered under the barrage of Trump's tariff announcements to February, March and early April. Stocks were little changed on Monday afternoon after Trump announced a surprise doubling of tariffs on steel and aluminium imports on Friday at an event in Pittsburgh. Meanwhile, the legality of the approach used for imposing the most sweeping of his tariffs has been cast into doubt. Last Wednesday, the Court of International Trade ruled that Trump had overstepped his authority with tariffs devised under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (Ieepa), including the 'Liberation Day' levies and earlier ones imposed on goods from Canada, Mexico and China-related to Trump's accusations that the three countries have facilitated the flow of fentanyl into the US Less than 24 hours later, an appeals court temporarily paused that decision. The tariffs at the centre of the legal dispute are expected to remain in effect as the case plays out. The draft letter to trading partners warns them not to believe the tariffs will be sidelined if the court rules against Trump's use of the Ieepa. 'Regardless of ongoing litigation concerning the President's reciprocal tariff action in US courts, the President intends to continue this tariff programme pursuant to other robust legal authorities if necessary, so it is important that we continue our discussions on these matters,' the draft said. REUTERS
