Moscow [Russia]: Russian President Vladimir Putin has issued an ultimatum to Ukrainians residing in Russia, ordering them to legalize their immigration status or leave the country by September 10, according to a presidential decree published on Thursday, as reported by The Moscow Times.
The decree states that Ukrainians without legal grounds to stay in Russia must leave or obtain Russian citizenship within the next six months and 10 days.
Impact on Occupied Regions
This order applies to Ukrainian passport holders from Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia—four regions that Russia claims to have annexed in 2022. Additionally, the decree extends to Crimea, which Russia seized in 2014.
In recent years, Russian authorities have been pressuring Ukrainians in these occupied areas to accept Russian citizenship. Putin has claimed that Russia had “virtually completed” mass issuance of Russian passports in these regions last year, according to The Moscow Times.
Ukraine & Western Reactions
Ukraine has strongly condemned Russia’s “passportization” policy, calling it illegal and a gross violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty. Western governments have also criticized the move, with the European Union refusing to recognize Russian passports issued in these occupied territories as valid travel documents.
Ceasefire Talks Between Russia & Ukraine
Meanwhile, diplomatic efforts to broker a ceasefire deal between Russia and Ukraine are ongoing. Former US President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that he had a “very good” one-hour phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Trump also held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday.
Ceasefire negotiations are set to begin in Jeddah on Sunday, with the US expecting Ukraine to support agreements reached during recent discussions between Putin and Trump, according to Trump’s Special Envoy Steven Witkoff, as reported by TASS Russian News Agency.
In an interview with Fox News, Witkoff revealed details of his discussions with Putin, stating:
“I had two meetings with President Putin. The first one was for somewhere close to three and a half hours, and the second one was close to four hours.”
He further added:
“They were both compelling. I thought we accomplished quite a bit, and in the second meeting, we actually really narrowed the issues, certainly from the Russian standpoint. We were immediately in discussions on tangible, granular ways to move forward towards a ceasefire, which included what you’ve heard about today—a ceasefire with regard to energy infrastructure from both sides, something they’ve been trying to put together for quite some time.”
With tensions escalating over Russia’s immigration policy targeting Ukrainians and ceasefire negotiations underway, the geopolitical situation remains complex and highly sensitive.