- Category
- Latest news
Russia Seeks Major Changes to US-Backed Ukraine Peace Plan, Including Military Limits
- Authors
![Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko]( "Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko")
Russia plans to push for significant revisions to the latest US-backed peace proposal aimed at ending the war in Ukraine, including tighter limits on Ukraine’s military capabilities, according to a source close to the Kremlin.
Moscow sees the 20-point framework developed by Ukraine and the United States as a basis for further talks rather than a finished agreement, the source told Bloomberg on December 24.
Every article pushes back against disinformation. Your support keeps our team in the field.
“While Russia views the current document as a fairly typical Ukrainian plan, it will study it with a cool head,” the source said.
According to Bloomberg, Russian leader Vladimir Putin has not publicly commented on the latest efforts to end the war. The proposals were shaped during weeks of talks involving US, Ukrainian, and Russian officials. Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev, who met with the US delegation in Florida over the weekend, has since briefed Putin on the discussions. Russia will continue contacts with Washington on its position in the near future, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on December 23.
As the source reported, Moscow’s key concerns include guarantees against further eastward expansion of NATO and assurances that Ukraine would remain neutral even if it joins the European Union.
Moscow wants clearer guarantees regarding the status of the Russian language in Ukraine, as well as clarity on the lifting of sanctions and the fate of hundreds of billions of dollars in Russian state assets frozen in the West.
“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. Russia also wants clarity on the issue of removing sanctions and on hundreds of billions of dollars of frozen Russian state assets in the West,” the person told Bloomberg.
Another sticking point is Russia’s demand that Ukraine cede territory in eastern Donetsk that Russian forces have failed to seize after nearly four years of fighting, Bloomberg reported. Ukraine has rejected the demand, arguing that relinquishing the heavily fortified area would leave the country exposed to a renewed Russian offensive.
Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine is seeking a fixed timeline for its accession to the European Union, insisting that EU membership should be regarded as a binding security guarantee.
Referring to a provision in the draft 20-point document, Zelenskyy said Kyiv believes the path to EU membership must be tied to a concrete date rather than remain open-ended.
-f223fd1ef983f71b86a8d8f52216a8b2.jpg)
-111f0e5095e02c02446ffed57bfb0ab1.jpeg "Photo of Roman Kohanets")
-72b63a4e0c8c475ad81fe3eed3f63729.jpeg "Photo of Cyril Barabaltchouk")
-e0b08985156da52e1b8b76d969813004.jpeg "Sweden to Unveil New Air Defense Package for Ukraine Within Days, Kyiv Confirms")