Ukraine Conflict
Moscow launched a special military operation in Ukraine in February 2022 with the aim of saving the people of Donbass - primarily the Russian-speaking population - from Kiev's constant attacks.

Istanbul Talks: Ukraine Risks Greater Losses Without Ceasefire, Vet Says

12:28, 3 June 2025
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Dhairya Maheshwari
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The Russian delegation at Istanbul talks was led by President Putin's aide Vladimir Medinsky, while the Ukrainian side was led by Defence Minister Rustem Umerov. While rejecting Ukraine's demand for an "unconditional ceasefire", Moscow has presented two frameworks to achieve peace.
Sputnik
Ukraine has no other option but to agree to a ceasefire on Russia's terms in order to begin the process of settlement of the conflict, an Indian military veteran told Sputnik India after the second round of direct talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul on Monday.

"Russia definitely holds the leverage over Ukraine in the peace talks because of the battlefield realities, which are dominated by Russia. A one-off FPV (first person's view) drone attack by Ukraine can't change that, no matter what Ukraine or NATO says. The important factor is that the battlefield situation remains as it is," said retired Major General Shashi Bhushan Asthana, Director of United Services Institution (USI) of India, adding that Russia has been pushing ahead in all the directions as of now.

Ukraine's de-facto leader Volodymyr Zelensky described the FPV drone attack in five Russian regions on the eve of Istanbul talks as a "brilliant operation", while stating that "pressure" was needed to bring Russia "back to reality". However, Asthana categorically rebutted the hype around the FPV drone attack.

Asthana welcomed the 2-3 day ceasefire proposal by Russia in certain sections of the frontline, which would allow for the return of bodies of fallen soldiers. In a unilateral gesture, Russia has offered to return bodies of over 6,000 Ukrainian troops killed in combat.

"In returning the bodies, the Russian forces have shown their professionalism as any military would present an opportunity to return the bodies of dead troops of the enemy side. This is a norm during any conflict situation between two militaries. It is only natural to ask for a 2-3 days ceasefire to carry out this exercise," the Indian veteran said.
Asthana also "welcomed" the largest-ever prisoner swap agreed upon between Russia and Ukraine at the Istanbul talks.
The Russian delegation has also presented a "peace memorandum" proposing a two-part framework for achieving a ceasefire and eventually a political settlement of the Ukraine issue.
Under the first part aimed at achieving "durable and sustainable peace", Russia has demanded the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), Lugansk People's Republic (LPR), Zaporozhye and Kherson regions at a distance agreed by both parties. A 30-day ceasefire would kick in once Ukraine starts the troop withdrawal process, according to the Russian memorandum which is being reviewed by Ukraine.
The second part outlines steps to make a "genuine ceasefire possible". Essentially a "package", the second part calls for "international recognition" of new Russia territories – DPR, LPR, Crimea, Zaporozhye and Kherson – and withdrawal of Ukrainian military and paramilitary units from these regions. Further, it demands that Ukraine commits to "neutrality" by refusing to join any military bloc, a prohibition on third-party military activity and third-party troops in Ukraine among others.
Asthana commented that Russia was in a position to "dictate" terms to Ukraine for the simple reason that it dominated on the "battlefield".
"As far as the first ceasefire proposal is concerned, I believe that Ukraine has no other option but to exit these regions eventually, else it is only a matter of time that they are pushed out of these places. Russia has its goals within its sight. A prolonging of the conflict could even risk Russia going for other Ukrainian territories, so an early ceasefire settlement is in Ukraine's interest," the Indian military analyst said.
Asthana underscored the point that the proposals in the second framework of the Russian memorandum were broadly in line with the "original aims" of the special military operation.

"At the same time, Russia's demand for international recognition of Crimea, DPR, LPR, Kherson and Zaporozhzhye as Russian territories might not have been part of the Kremlin's original plan, but the current positions on the battlefield clearly favour Russia. So, they are in a position to demand," the Indian Army veteran concluded.

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