Ukraine's red lines in peace talks: no more land to Russia, release of children, security guarantees – The Independent

Ukraine has set several red lines for negotiations on a possible peace deal, The Independent has reported. These include refusing to cede any additional territories beyond those currently occupied, demanding the return of Ukrainian children and civilians, and insisting on international security guarantees.

Source: The Independent, citing Ukrainian officials

Details: Senior Ukrainian sources familiar with the talks warn there is little faith that Russia will accept a reasonable deal. "We expect another trick," a source said.

The newspaper also set out Ukraine's red lines in possible negotiations:

• "Refusing to give up further territories, despite Russian President Vladimir Putin's desire to take back four Ukrainian regions partially occupied by Russia [N.B. Ukrainska Pravda doesn't recognise Putin as president – ed.]
• No further territory to be ceded, despite Putin’s desire to take four Ukrainian regions partially occupied by the Russian military since 2014
• The return of thousands of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia
• The return of thousands of civilians illegally held by Russia, who are not considered Prisoners of War and so would not be included in PoW exchanges
• A need for international security guarantees, should Putin infringe any ceasefire deal."

Ukrainian officials told The Independent that while they have agreed to freeze the current front line in order to negotiate a ceasefire, losing any additional territory would be a red line.

"It is not reasonable to demand that, for example, Zaporizhzhia or Kherson [oblasts – ed.] be fully handed over," the source said.

The sources said the fate of the Russian-occupied territories has not been decided.

"We will do our best to retake it with diplomacy," a source said.

The newspaper reports that Ukraine is deeply concerned about how the ceasefire and freezing of the contact line could impact the fate of tens of thousands of Ukrainian children who have either been forcibly taken to Russia or have remained in the occupied territories throughout the full-scale invasion.

One of the key requirements for any deal is for these children to return and the Russification policy, which includes re-education camps and the forced issuance of Russian passports, to end.

Background: A European Pravda source said Kyiv had informed its US partners of its red lines at the meeting in Jeddah.

"For Ukraine, there are red lines – including that there can be no restrictions on the size of the defence forces and no prohibitions on Ukraine’s participation in international organisations, including the EU and NATO. The issue of NATO was also mentioned by [Head of the Ukrainian President’s Office Andrii] Yermak, who stressed that Russia must not have a veto," the source emphasised.

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