Will Russia Propose a Compromise in the 5th Negotiation...Possibility of Excluding 'Denazification' Demand

Officials: "Key Russian demands such as denazification and demilitarization missing from 5th peace talks draft"

Vladimir Putin, President of Russia [Photo by TASS Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] Major foreign media outlets reported on the 28th (local time), citing negotiation officials, that Russia will no longer demand "denazification" in the 5th peace talks with Ukraine. The officials also said that Russia is preparing to allow Ukraine to join the European Union (EU).

The officials stated that the draft of the 5th peace talks does not include the three key demands initially presented by Russia in the peace negotiations: denazification, demilitarization, and legal guarantees for the use of the Russian language in Ukraine. Russia's step back in the 5th peace talks has created the possibility for the negotiations to progress further.

The Kremlin explained that the denazification, one of the objectives of their military operation in Ukraine, means removing Ukrainian Nazis and pro-Nazi figures. Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused the Ukrainian government under Volodymyr Zelensky of being an extreme right-wing nationalist and neo-Nazi regime that promotes Ukrainian nationalism. Considering this, the removal of denazification from the demands can be interpreted as Russia no longer aiming to remove the Zelensky government.

However, the officials said that Russia would present such a compromise if Ukraine maintains military neutrality. Ukraine has already expressed willingness to negotiate on military neutrality.

Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine
[Photo by Reuters Yonhap News]

Earlier, Ukrainian President Zelensky suggested room for compromise on Ukraine's neutral status, non-nuclear status, security guarantees, and allowing the use of the Russian language within Ukraine through media interviews and speeches. He stated that Ukraine could negotiate not developing nuclear weapons, not hosting foreign troops, and not pursuing NATO membership.

Instead, Ukraine wants to receive security guarantees equivalent to Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) treaty. Article 5 of the NATO treaty states that if one NATO member is attacked, it is considered an attack on all members, and other members automatically intervene in the war for collective defense.

President Zelensky also insisted that if a peace agreement is reached, the involved countries must guarantee Ukraine's security through parliamentary ratification. Additionally, Ukraine must amend its constitution according to the agreement, which requires a national referendum and will take at least one year.

The Russian and Ukrainian peace negotiation delegations are scheduled to meet in Istanbul, the capital of Turkey, on the 29th. This will be the first face-to-face negotiation between the two delegations in three weeks.

Russia and Ukraine held their first peace talks in Belarus on the 28th of last month, just four days after the outbreak of the war, followed by the 2nd and 3rd talks on the 3rd and 7th. The 4th talks were held via video conference starting on the 14th. It is reported that significant progress was made during the video conference, raising expectations for the face-to-face talks held after three weeks.

Expectations for the 5th peace talks are expected to grow further as there are prospects that Russia may take a more conciliatory stance. However, some in Ukraine and the West remain suspicious that Putin might be using the negotiations as a deceptive tactic to buy time to reorganize his military forces.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.