Kathrine Frich
Confidence-building starts with people.
Confidence-building starts with people.
Ceasefire First, No Conditions
Ukraine’s proposal opens with a clear demand: a complete and unconditional ceasefire across land, air, and sea.
This, they insist, is a non-negotiable prerequisite for any meaningful talks. Without it, there’s no deal to be made.
Children and Prisoners Must Come Home
Confidence-building starts with people.
Ukraine calls for the immediate return of all deported or resettled Ukrainian children and a full prisoner exchange, “all for all” including civilian hostages.
These humanitarian issues are framed as urgent moral obligations.
Never Again: Ukraine Wants Guarantees
A key goal is preventing future attacks. The memorandum stresses that peace must rest on long-term security.
Ukraine insists that any agreement must create a durable structure that blocks a return to violence.
International Oversight and Real Guarantees
Ukraine calls for international involvement in both the negotiations and enforcement.
The memorandum demands credible security guarantees, with active roles for third-party states to monitor and back the deal.
No to Neutrality, Yes to the West
Ukraine makes clear it will not accept forced neutrality. The country reserves the right to seek EU membership and Euro-Atlantic integration.
NATO membership is up to the alliance, but Ukraine’s sovereignty, including its military partnerships, is non-negotiable.
No Recognition of Russian Territorial Gains
Kyiv won’t accept any redrawing of borders. Russia’s occupation of Ukrainian territory since 2014 is considered illegitimate.
Negotiations will begin from the current front line but only after a total ceasefire.
Sanctions Can Be Lifted, Slowly
The memorandum allows for gradual sanction relief, but only if Russia complies.
Any lifted sanctions can snap back into place if terms are violated.
Frozen Russian state assets could fund Ukrainian reconstruction or remain locked until reparations are paid.
From Paper to Practice: Ukraine Wants a Roadmap
Ukraine proposes a detailed implementation plan to avoid vague promises.
The memorandum calls for a clear, balanced, and workable roadmap to ensure commitments are upheld over time.
Ceasefire Monitoring by the West
A ceasefire lasting at least 30 days and extendable, is central to the proposal.
Monitoring would be led by the United States and supported by third countries, turning the ceasefire into a test of good faith before final talks.
From Istanbul to the Leaders’ Table
The final step: a meeting between Zelensky and Putin to hammer out the key details of peace.
That includes hostilities, reparations, territorial questions, security guarantees, and the legal structure of the final deal.
Ukraine wants that summit to be more than symbolic.