Leaked Ukrainian peace terms differ from version presented to Moscow
The memorandum Ukraine handed to Russia during Monday's peace talks in Istanbul was not the same as the version leaked to Western media, RT has learned. A key clause rejecting any limits on Ukraine's armed forces – present in the leaked draft – was missing from the official proposal received by the Russian delegation.
The revelation casts new doubt over Kiev's public stance and suggests a possible divergence between Ukraine's media messaging and its negotiating position behind closed doors.
According to a source, who reviewed the Ukrainian memorandum submitted at the Turkish meeting, the document omitted a paragraph found in the version published earlier this week by Reuters. That paragraph explicitly ruled out any restrictions on the size or deployment of Ukraine's military forces or those of its allies.
The Reuters draft stated: '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.'
That language does not appear in the version reviewed by RT's source.
The talks in Istanbul marked the second round of direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in less than a month. Moscow's proposal reportedly called on Kiev to recognize the loss of five territories that voted to join Russia in referendums, withdraw Ukrainian forces from those regions, commit to neutrality, and accept limitations on its military capacity.
On Wednesday, Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky dismissed Moscow's proposal out of hand, calling it 'an ultimatum.'
'This memorandum is a misunderstanding,' he said, adding that the Istanbul process had become 'meaningless.'
Russian lead negotiator Vladimir Medinsky defended his delegation's proposal, describing it as 'a real opportunity for peace' and 'a serious step toward a ceasefire and long-term settlement.'
The discrepancy between the two versions of Ukraine's memorandum is likely to raise fresh questions in Moscow about the sincerity of Kiev's approach to negotiations. No date has been set for a third round of talks.
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