Kiev did not reject limitations on its armed forces in the text provided to Moscow

The memorandum Ukraine provided to the Russian side during the talks in Istanbul on Monday was not the same one published in Western media, RT has learned. During their second meeting in a month in the Turkish city, Moscow and Kiev exchanged roadmaps for ending the conflict between them.

In its document, Moscow proposed that Ukraine recognize the loss of five of its former regions that joined Russia after public referendums, withdraw its forces from them, commit to neutrality and limit its military capabilities.

The text received by the Russian delegation is missing a clause on Kiev rejecting limitations on the size of its armed forces, the broadcaster said on Friday after reviewing the memorandum.

A copy of the Ukrainian proposal published by Reuters earlier this week contained the following wording: "No restrictions may be imposed on the number, deployment, or other parameters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as on the deployment of troops of friendly foreign states on the territory of Ukraine." RT was not able to find such a clause in the version that Kiev provided to Moscow.

On Wednesday, Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky rejected the Russian memorandum out of hand, labeling it an "ultimatum."

The document prepared by Moscow "will not be taken seriously by the Ukrainian side... This memorandum is a misunderstanding," he stated.

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Zelensky also questioned the viability of the diplomatic process itself, saying that "to continue... meetings in Istanbul at a level that decides nothing... is meaningless."

Russia's lead negotiator at the talks, Vladimir Medinsky, defended Moscow's memorandum, describing it as an opportunity to end the conflict. "This is not an ultimatum. It is a proposal that will truly allow for achieving real peace - or at least a ceasefire - and make a huge step towards achieving long-term peace," he argued.