Russia rejects and wants to rewrite 20-point peace plan, Bloomberg reports
Photo: Russian President Vladimir Putin (Getty Images)
Russia will seek changes to the latest US peace plan to end the war in Ukraine. In particular, the Kremlin seeks stricter restrictions on the Ukrainian Armed Forces, as well as resolutions regarding sanctions and the freezing of its assets, according to Bloomberg.
A source close to the Kremlin told the outlet that Russia views the current peace plan as a "starting point."
"Moscow regards the 20-point plan worked out between Ukraine and the US as a starting point for further negotiations, as it lacks provisions important for Russia and fails to answer many questions," the source said.
The source added that the aggressor country sees the current document "as a fairly typical Ukrainian plan" and intends to "study it with a cool head."
Bloomberg reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin has so far not commented on the latest peace plan proposals, developed over weeks of negotiations involving officials from the US, Ukraine, and Russia.
"While Russia hasn’t endorsed the latest version of the 20-point plan, it’s unwilling to risk alienating US President Donald Trump by rejecting it entirely," the material states.
The outlet also recalls Trump’s remarks earlier this week, when he said that negotiations are going "okay" and that there is a chance to reach an agreement soon.
Russia’s demands for the peace plan
A source close to the Kremlin told the outlet that Russia is "Russia’s concerns include guarantees against future eastward expansion by the NATO military alliance and on Ukraine’s neutral status if it joins the European Union."
According to the source, "the plan also lacks limits sought by Russia on Kyiv’s postwar armed forces and types of weapons, the person said, and doesn’t provide clear assurances on the status of the Russian language in Ukraine."
The outlet, citing the source, reports that the aggressor country also wants "clarity on the issue of removing sanctions and on hundreds of billions of dollars of frozen Russian state assets in the West."
In addition, Bloomberg notes Russia’s desire to regain all territories in eastern Donetsk that Russian forces have been unable to occupy over nearly four years of war.
The outlet emphasizes that Ukraine rejects this demand, fearing that losing fortified territory would leave it vulnerable to a new Russian attack.
US-Russia negotiations
On December 20–21, Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and the US leader’s son-in-law Jared Kushner held meetings with the head of Russia’s sovereign fund, Kirill Dmitriev, in the United States.
Following the meetings, Witkoff stated that Russia remains fully committed to achieving peace in Ukraine. At the same time, the dictator’s envoy described the talks with US representatives in Florida as "constructive."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that territorial issues should be decided by the Ukrainian people through elections or a referendum. Later, he clarified that the referendum issue is not currently on the table, and Ukraine’s negotiating team is seeking ways to resolve the matter.
For details on what is included in the US 20-point peace plan for Ukraine, see the RBC-Ukraine material.
