Russia's draft memorandum calls for Ukraine's neutrality, non-nuclear status

Moscow [Russia], June 3: Russia's draft memorandum presented during the recent talks in Istanbul includes provisions for Ukraine to adopt a neutral and non-nuclear status, a document handed over to Russian media said Monday.
The document outlines that Ukraine's neutrality would entail its "refusal to join military alliances and coalitions" and a ban on any foreign military activity on Ukrainian territory.
The memorandum also calls for the international legal recognition of Crimea, the Lugansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions as part of Russia, along with the full withdrawal of Ukrainian forces and other Ukrainian "paramilitary formations" from those territories.
It proposes setting limits on the size of Ukraine's armed forces, weapons and military equipment, and that both parties waive claims related to damage from military actions.
Another key provision involves the gradual restoration of diplomatic and economic relations between the two countries, including gas transit, transport, and communications links, according to the document.
"The memorandum is a comprehensive proposal that will allow us to achieve long-term peace, or at least a ceasefire, which would be a huge step towards achieving long-term peace," head of the Russian Delegation Vladimir Medinsky noted.
The document, published by TASS news agency, sets out Russia's terms for a ceasefire and a peaceful settlement of the crisis.
The memorandum also presents a sequence of steps with a timeline, calling for elections in Ukraine followed by the signing of a peace treaty, and a peace treaty between Russia and Ukraine must be approved by a legally binding resolution of the UN Security Council.
Russian and Ukrainian officials met in Istanbul Monday where they agreed to another major prisoner exchange, and exchanged memorandums, where both sides outlined their terms for a potential peace treaty.
Source: Xinhua News Agency