UPD: Russian state agencies published the Russian peace memorandum. The Russian side, to «settle the Ukrainian crisis», demands the recognition of the annexed territories of Crimea, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions as part of Russia. Ukraine must become «neutral», refrain from entering into international agreements that contradict the clause on neutral status. Russia also demands the assurance of «rights and freedoms of the Russian and Russian-speaking population» and a ban on the «glorification and propaganda of Nazism and neo-Nazism».
As noted by the project «First Department»*, the Russian memorandum on ending the war includes a clause on political prisoners, with Russia for the first time acknowledging their existence, proposing a «mutual amnesty of «political prisoners» and the release of detained civilians». Meanwhile, the list of political prisoners by «Memorial»* (the strictest criteria for recognizing a person as a political prisoner) includes more than 950 people. A similar list by «OVD-Info»* includes more than 1600 people. Additionally, according to the Center for Civil Liberties, more than 7,000 Ukrainian civilians are held in Russian prisons, colonies, and detention centers.
On Monday, Russia presented Ukraine with a «peace memorandum», outlining its conditions for a ceasefire and the conclusion of a peace agreement, although Russia's position effectively remains unchanged, reported Axios citing a Ukrainian official.
Russia's position, outlined in the peace memorandum, remains «as usual» and includes demands for Ukraine to withdraw troops from four regions of Ukraine claimed by Russia, a Ukrainian official said.
The Russians also proposed returning 10 children taken from Ukraine to Russia by July 10, two Ukrainian officials reported, noting that this is only a small part of the number of Ukrainian children held in Russia.
As Axios writes, citing Ukrainian officials, the head of the Russian negotiating team, Vladimir Medinsky, at the meeting denied information that tens of thousands of Ukrainian children were abducted by Russia, calling it propaganda.
«Stop throwing around crazy numbers. We will return everyone who is on the territory of the Russian Federation. There is no abduction. Russian soldiers do not abduct people. They saved them only because their lives were in danger. Don't put on a show for European compassionate old ladies who have no children themselves», said Medinsky.
At the same time, Medinsky showed a list of 339 names of children provided by Ukraine, noting that the Russian Federation will consider each situation without exception from the Ukrainian list of children who lost contact with their parents. TASS claims that recently the Russian side returned 101 children, and the Ukrainian side about 20, but it is not reported from where the Russian children were moved.
The outcomes of the meeting included agreements on a large-scale exchange of seriously ill and wounded prisoners of war, as well as prisoners under 25 years old. Medinsky reported that the Russian Federation is unilaterally handing over 6,000 frozen bodies of servicemen to Ukraine next week.
Russia rejected an unconditional ceasefire, proposing a 2-3 day pause in certain areas of the front to collect the bodies of the deceased, TASS quotes Medinsky. During a conversation with journalists, Volodymyr Zelensky noted that a truce is necessary to stop the killings, and Ukraine has not changed its position on this issue — Kyiv insists on an unconditional ceasefire for at least 30 days. «As they said regarding the ceasefire — they are ready for a ceasefire for two or three days to collect the dead from the battlefield. I think they are idiots because a truce is needed so that there are no dead», emphasized Zelensky.
* Recognized as «foreign agents» in Russia.
Photo: AFP