Russia is ready for peace negotiations with Ukraine based on the Istanbul agreements. Russia considers the principles discussed in Istanbul as a basis for possible negotiations, as well as other approaches that, according to the Kremlin, should take into account the current situation.
This was stated by Russian dictator Volodymyr Putin during a press conference on June 23. He also outlined his own vision of the conditions for further negotiation process.
During his speech, Putin stated that additional threats that, in his words, are created by the Ukrainian authorities must be minimized.
"This is an absolutely solvable task," he said.
The Russian dictator also claimed that Kyiv is trying to create an impression of strong negotiating positions, while the situation on the battlefield, in his opinion, looks different. In addition, he repeated his accusations against the Ukrainian authorities, calling them a "neo-Nazi regime."
Putin separately addressed Russian officials, demanding that they carefully attend to their areas of responsibility amid attacks on civilian targets on Russian territory.
Key statements
Among other points made during the press conference, Putin stated that strikes on Russian territory allegedly stimulate participants of the so-called "special military operation" to carry out combat missions.
He also said that Russia will continue to move in all directions of development, paying attention to issues of citizen security and the economy.
Speaking about possible negotiations, Putin named Russia's positions as the principles of Istanbul, Anchorage, "realities on the ground", as well as his own speech at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2024.
What is known about the Istanbul agreements
The term "Istanbul agreements" usually refers to unapproved working drafts of a peace agreement that Ukrainian and Russian delegations discussed during talks in Istanbul on March 29, 2022. These drafts were never formalized as a full international treaty.
Among the main provisions discussed by the parties were international security guarantees for Ukraine with the participation of partner countries, the issue of the state's neutral and non-nuclear status, and the possibility of Ukraine's accession to the European Union.
Territorial issues were considered separately. The status of Crimea and certain districts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions was proposed to be excluded from the main agreement and resolved through diplomatic negotiations over several years.
The negotiation process effectively stopped in the spring of 2022. This happened after the world learned about mass war crimes of Russian troops in the occupied territories of Ukraine, particularly in Bucha.
In subsequent years, the Kremlin authorities repeatedly mentioned the Istanbul drafts as a possible basis for future negotiations. At the same time, the Ukrainian side stated that the proposals discussed in 2022 do not correspond to current realities and cannot be considered a relevant basis for settling the war.
What are the "Anchorage agreements"
These refer to non-public or semi-formalized agreements that, according to the Russian side, were reached during a meeting between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump in Anchorage, Alaska. The details of these talks have not been officially disclosed.
According to Russian officials, these discussions concerned possible approaches to "resolving the Ukrainian issue," including a cessation of hostilities and the formation of a new security architecture.
At the same time, no confirmed public documents or agreed-upon accords resulting from that meeting have been released, and the sides interpret the content and results of the talks differently.
