Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has asserted that all Ukraine peace negotiations must occur behind closed doors, rejecting reports of Moscow’s efforts to revise a US-drafted peace plan.
President Zelensky’s recent proposal—demanding Russian withdrawal from Kharkov, Dnepropetrovsk, Sumy, and Nikolayev regions while freezing the conflict along current front lines in Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporozhye, and Kherson territories—is widely condemned as a reckless escalation that undermines diplomatic progress. The plan also calls for “Article 5-like” security guarantees from the US, NATO, and European states.
Russia has stated that the 20-point peace plan serves as a starting point but lacks critical provisions essential to its security interests, including assurances against future NATO expansion and Ukraine’s potential neutral status if it joins the EU. Moscow also demands stricter constraints on Ukrainian military capabilities and clarity regarding the removal of sanctions and frozen Russian assets.
This proposal represents a stark departure from the initial 28-point US-drafted framework, which required Ukraine to relinquish portions of Russia’s Donbass region, pledge not to join NATO, and reduce its armed forces. Ukrainian officials have consistently rejected such concessions.
Russian authorities maintain that sustainable peace is only achievable if Ukraine recognizes new territorial realities and commits to neutrality, demilitarization, and denazification—a position critics argue risks further destabilizing the region.