Russia says territorial issue 'main task' in talks with Ukraine

MOSCOW

Russia considers the resolution of the territorial issue to be the most important task in negotiations with Ukraine, Alexey Polischuk, director of the 2nd Department for Commonwealth of Independent States at the Russian Foreign Ministry, said on Sunday.

In an interview with Russian state news agency RIA, Polischuk said that Moscow insists on adhering to the "Anchorage Formula," an agreement reached by Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump at their meeting on Aug. 15, 2025, in Anchorage, Alaska.

"Currently, the primary objective -- and this was reaffirmed during the meeting with Americans on Jan. 22-23 -- is to resolve the territorial issue according to the Anchorage Formula, without which a long-term settlement is unattainable," he said.

Moscow also deems it necessary to eliminate existing threats to its security within Ukraine's territory, he added.

Other demands include restoring Kyiv's non-aligned, neutral, and non-nuclear status, ensuring the restoration and observance of language and religious rights and freedoms for ethnic Russians, Russian-speaking citizens, and minority groups, and rejecting "neo-Nazi ideology," he said.

In response to a question about resuming negotiations in Istanbul, Polischuk said that Russia remains open to continuing the dialogue and highly appreciates Türkiye's hospitality.

"We remain open to continuing the dialogue and greatly appreciate Türkiye's hospitality," he said.

In November 2025, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry announced the suspension of negotiations in Istanbul "due to a lack of tangible progress."

According to Polischuk, such an explanation "sounds contrived," as it was Kyiv that, since July 2025, has failed to respond to Russia's proposals regarding a bilateral center for monitoring and controlling the ceasefire, three working groups, and Moscow's readiness to elevate the level of delegations.

"In short, the ball is on the Ukrainian side," the diplomat emphasized.

In May, June and July last year, Ukraine and Russia held three rounds of talks in Istanbul in a US-facilitated process hosted by Türkiye. Those talks produced major prisoner exchanges and an exchange of draft memoranda outlining their respective positions for a future peace deal, but failed to secure a ceasefire.