Russia responds to US proposal for ending Ukraine war as alarm spreads among allies

Moscow, Russia - Russia on Friday said the US did not consult it on a hugely controversial proposal to end the war in Ukraine, even though the 28-point peace plan concedes to many of the Kremlin's demands.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia had not been consulted as part of a new proposal put forward by the US to end the Ukraine war.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia had not been consulted as part of a new proposal put forward by the US to end the Ukraine war.  © REUTERS

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia is yet to officially receive the draft, which was widely leaked earlier this week.

While he said the plan contains some new input, "there was no factual discussion of these points," Peskov said when asked whether Russia had been involved in drafting the positions.

He added that Russia remains open to further negotiations but declined to comment publicly on the US proposal in order not to jeopardize talks.

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Peskov justified the step-up of Russian attacks on Ukraine by saying that it was necessary to "convince" Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky "to negotiate now," warning that any room for maneuver would only become smaller.

The latest US proposal for an end to the nearly four-year war in Ukraine has caused a stir in Kyiv and other European capitals, who were also sidelined from the initiative.

The plan calls for Ukraine to make major concessions, including the withdrawal of troops from the parts of the contested Luhansk and Donetsk regions they currently control.

Furthermore, the US would be expected to recognize the Crimean Peninsula, illegally annexed in 2014, and the Donetsk and Luhansk regions as de facto Russian territory.

Ukraine, which has consistently rejected territorial concessions, and its European allies, on the other hand, have long pressed for a ceasefire along the current front lines as a prerequisite for a final peace settlement – a proposal that Moscow rejects.

Cover photo: REUTERS

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