Istanbul
May 3, 2022
Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin have agreed on peace terms in their meeting in Istanbul on Tuesday. Both the Ukranian Ministry of Defence and the Kremlin confirmed the news.
According to the Ukranian Foreign Minister the agreed-to terms are:
1. Immediate ceasefire and withdrawal of Russian forces from the territory of Ukraine.
2. Ukraine agrees not to join NATO.
3. Russia will not pressure Ukraine militarily or otherwise as regarding Ukraine’s matters.
4. Ukraine acknowledges Crimea as Special Russian territory and recognizes the DPR and LPR as sovereign states.
5. Russia will demilitarise Donbas and Crimea and both will become demilitarised zones.
The peace agreement means that Ukraine will still be allowed to join the E.U if it wishes, and purchase weapons as well as cooperate with NATO, but that it may not join the alliance.
Russian troops were given five days to retreat.
The news comes as the war had taken an unpredictable turn in recent days. Some 7,500 Ukranian forces defending Mariupol had surrendered on May 1, but a major Russian attack southwest of Kharkiv was repelled. U.S. intel had showed that Putin was aware the Russians had already suffered some 50,000 casualities, similar to NATO’s estimate of 57,000 Russian casualities. In total, NATO estimates some 23,000 Ukranians have also been killed, injured, or captured.
Russian news agency TASS reported: “The head of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin signed a decree with Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy today ending the special military operation in Russia. The main goals of the operation were met — as Ukraine agreed not to join NATO and Russian forces eliminated the threat to the citizens of Donbas.”
Few in the west would agree on the operation being a sucess. Pentagon spokesman Marc DeAnthony told reporters: “The Russian invasion of Ukraine failed, and they’re lucky to escape with the treaty they got.”
U.S. President Joe Biden commented on the news: “Today, after 68 days of unwarranted carnage and destruction, the brutal Russian assault on Ukraine has finally ended. The Ukranian people have showed their courage and want to protect their freedoms and futures.”
Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted on Instagram: “Peace at last, Ukraine survived, Ukraine will be great again.”
Many heads of state announced their gratitude to both sides. Indian PM Narenda Modi tweeted: “Thanks to the resilience of both sides, we have acheived peace. Diplomacy, not war, is the solution.” Chinese President Xi Jinpings spokesperson Wang Li announced: “Peace is always in the interest of both parties, as well as China.”
It is unclear what sanctions will be lifted off of Russia. Some 10,000 civilians have been killed in the over two months of fighting and over 13 million have been displaced. It’s impossible to predict just how many people will move back to their warn-torn nation.