MOSCOW: A draft peace agreement that Russia and Ukraine negotiated in the early days of the conflict could serve as a starting point for talks to end the fighting, the Kremlin said Friday, reviving a proposal that Ukraine had rejected.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the draft document that was discussed in Istanbul in March 2022 could be “the basis for starting negotiations.” At the same time, he noted that the possible future talks would need to take into account the “new realities.” “There have been many changes since then, new entities have been included in our constitution,” Peskov said.
In September 2022, Russia annexed four Ukrainian regions in a move that Kyiv and its Western allies have rejected as an unlawful.
The document discussed in Istanbul weeks after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 reportedly included provisions for Ukraine’s neutral status and put limits on its armed forces while delaying talks on the status of Russian-occupied areas. No deal was reached and the negotiations collapsed soon after that round of talks.
Russia has dismissed Ukraine’s peace formula which would require Moscow to pull back its troops, pay compensation and face an international tribunal for its action.