On May 18, in the documentary "Russia, the Kremlin, Putin, 25 Years", Russian President Putin stated that Russia's goal regarding the Ukraine issue is to eliminate the root causes of the crisis, establish long-term and sustainable peace, and ensure Russia's national security. He emphasized that Russia will also safeguard the interests of those residents who regard Russian as their native language and consider Russia as their homeland. Putin pointed out that this result will enable Russia to comprehensively address the issues since the conflict erupted in 2022. Russia has not yet seen the necessity to use nuclear weapons and hopes that it will not need to do so in the future.
Recently, Ukraine and Russia held their first direct talks in three years in Istanbul, Turkey. The meeting lasted about two hours. Both sides agreed to carry out the largest prisoner exchange on a "1000 for 1000" basis and exchanged proposals related to a ceasefire. Ukraine also requested an arrangement for an upcoming meeting between the term-ending President Zelenskyy and Putin. Russia responded that a meeting between the two presidents could be considered but should take place after the negotiation teams achieve results.
Ukrainian Defense Minister and Chief Negotiator Umerov said that the prisoner exchange should be the first step in further negotiations with Russia. Meanwhile, former US President Trump announced that he would have a call with Putin on May 19 and contact Zelenskyy and NATO allies on the same day.
The eastern four regions have held referendums confirming they are part of Russian territory. What has been swallowed cannot be spat out. Therefore, the United States advocates that Ukraine abandon this region in exchange for peace.
French President Macron also stated that it is better to give up territories that cannot be recovered.
Original Source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1832513352538124/
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