US EditionRussia demanded Kyiv pull back troops before ceasefire, Ukrainian source says
- On May 16, 2025, Russian and Ukrainian negotiators met in Istanbul for their first direct talks in three years but failed to agree on a ceasefire.
- Russia demanded Ukraine withdraw troops from Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia before agreeing to a ceasefire, surpassing the April US draft deal terms.
- The US drafted a peace proposal after envoy Steve Witkoff met Putin, while Kyiv and European allies favored a ceasefire first, deferring territorial talks.
- A Ukrainian official described Russia's conditions as “non-starters,” and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined comment, saying talks must remain confidential.
- The stalled talks resulted only in a prisoner exchange agreement, and Ukraine warned that Moscow's position showed no serious intent for peace.
31 Articles
31 Articles
Russia demanded Kyiv pull back troops before ceasefire, Ukrainian source says
The talks lasted one hour and 40 minutes, and yielded an agreement to trade 1,000 prisoners of war on each side. Hours later, a Russian drone killed nine bus passengers in the Sumy region of northeastern Ukraine.
Moscow reportedly demanded Kyiv recognize Crimea as Russian territory at Istanbul talks
During negotiations in Istanbul on Friday, Moscow demanded that Kyiv recognize Crimea as Russian territory in exchange for a ceasefire agreement, according to Suspilne. The outlet, citing a source close to the negotiations process, also said that Moscow demanded Ukraine withdraw its troops from the partially occupied Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions, as well as threatening to seize the Kharkiv and Sumy regions. This corroborat…
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