Russia "will seek key changes" to the latest version of the US peace plan to end the war against Ukraine, including more restrictions on Ukraine's military forces, citing a person close to the Kremlin, Bloomberg reports, writes UNN.
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"Moscow views the 20-point plan, developed between Ukraine and the US, as a starting point for further negotiations, given that it lacks important provisions for Russia and does not answer many questions," the person said.
Although Russia "views the current document as a fairly typical Ukrainian plan, it will study it with a cool head," the person said.
Kremlin head Vladimir Putin has not yet commented on the latest proposals to end Europe's worst conflict since World War II, which were developed over weeks of negotiations involving American, Ukrainian, and Russian officials. Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev, who met with the American team in Florida last weekend, informed the Kremlin head of the results, and Moscow will continue contacts on its position with Washington in the near future, Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said late Tuesday that differences remain between Kyiv and Washington on territorial issues and the management of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which Russia seized at the beginning of the full-scale invasion in 2022. Nevertheless, he gave an optimistic assessment, stating that negotiations "have come much closer to finalizing the documents."
"Although Russia has not approved the latest version of the 20-point plan, it is unwilling to risk alienating US President Donald Trump by rejecting it entirely," the publication writes. Trump said this week that negotiations are going "well" and that there is a chance to reach a deal soon, although US hopes for a deal before Christmas have been dashed, the publication writes.
There are currently no plans for Putin to speak with Trump, said Peskov, quoted by Russian media.
According to a person close to the Kremlin, "Russia is concerned about guarantees against the future eastward expansion of the NATO military alliance and Ukraine's neutral status if it joins the European Union."
According to the source, "the plan also lacks the restrictions Russia seeks on Kyiv's post-war armed forces and types of weapons, and it does not provide clear guarantees regarding the status of the Russian language in Ukraine." "Russia also wants clarity on the issue of lifting sanctions and hundreds of billions of dollars of frozen Russian state assets in the West," the publication writes.
Russia wants Ukraine to give up land in the eastern Donetsk region that Putin's troops have failed to capture in nearly four years of fighting. Ukraine rejects this demand, fearing that surrendering heavily fortified territory would make it vulnerable to a new Russian attack, the publication writes.
Ukraine seeks to persuade Trump to offer Russia to end the war along the current line of contact, Zelenskyy said.
As part of a compromise, Zelenskyy promised to hold presidential elections "as soon as possible" after a ceasefire is reached. Ukraine will be allowed to maintain a peacetime army of up to 800,000 servicemen, and any violation of the ceasefire by Russia will lead to US security guarantees, Zelenskyy said.
President unveils 20-point peace plan: what it entails24.12.25, 10:22 • [views_18501]