The first round of Ukrainian-Russian negotiations has ended – apparently without result. Meanwhile, President Putin reiterated his terms for ending the invasion: demilitarization of Ukraine and recognition of Crimea.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has demanded demilitarization of Ukraine and recognition of Russia’s annexed Crimea as Russian territory as conditions for an end to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Putin stressed that “an agreement is only possible if Russia’s legitimate security interests are unconditionally taken into account,” the Kremlin said after a phone call between Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron. Accordingly, Putin again called for a “denazification” of the Ukrainian government and the “neutrality” of Ukraine.

On the occasion of the peace talks with Ukraine, French President Emmanuel Macron appealed to Putin to end offensives against civilians in particular. All attacks on private individuals and places of residence should be stopped, and the civil infrastructure should be preserved, Macron demanded in the phone call, according to the Élyséepalast. Roads should also be secured, especially in the south of Kyiv. Paris said that Putin had shown himself willing to work on the points.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had previously called on Moscow for an “immediate ceasefire” and a withdrawal of Russian troops from his country. After the Ukrainian commitment to participate in the talks, Zelenskyy showed little hope on Sunday. “I don’t believe too much in a result,” but “you have to try,” he said in a speech.

Meanwhile, the negotiations between the Ukrainian and Russian delegations on the border with Belarus have ended – the content was not disclosed. The negotiators would now return to their respective capitals for consultation. The Belarusian news agency Belta also reported, concerning Russian delegation circles, that there would be further talks in the coming days. During the negotiations, “certain points were identified from which general positions can be predicted”.

Image by Presidential Executive Office of Russia (Wikimedia)/Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)