Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday said the current US peace proposal that heavily favors Moscow could “form the basis for a final peace settlement” in Ukraine.
Putin spoke in favor of President Trump’s 28-point peace plan, which calls for Ukraine to give up the entire Donbas region, shrink its army by a third and abandon its NATO ambitions — all while asking very little of Russia in return.
Putin noted that the terms of the deal were in line with what he and Trump discussed in their summit in Alaska earlier this year, with Russia eager to discuss more at the negotiating table.
“Russia’s interest in a political and diplomatic resolution of the Ukrainian crisis was reaffirmed,” the Kremlin said in a statement on the peace plan
Russia’s positive take on the controversial plan stands in clear contrast with that of Ukraine and its allies, including US lawmakers who described it as a “wish list” for Moscow.
Critics and experts have warned that the current deal on the table effectively sets Ukraine up for a third Russian invasion, all while offering vague security guarantees that pose no real consequences to Moscow.
The US plan, which was leaked last week and caused chaos in the West, was the main topic as Ukraine’s negotiation team met with Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Geneva on Sunday.
Rubio, who defended the controversial 28-point peace plan, described the talks as “probably the most productive and meaningful meeting so far in this entire [peace] process.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has stressed that any deal cannot reward Russia for invading his country, said he will be receiving a “full report” on what his team discussed with the US.
“Based on these reports, we will determine the next steps and the timing,” Zelensky wrote on X.
The Ukrainian president had previously said he was optimistic that the 28-point peace plan can be altered to include Kyiv’s needs and solid guarantees to stave off another attack from Russia.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte treated the US plan as a first draft that needs to now include Ukraine’s concerns after the talks with Rubio.
“As I said, many good elements in the plan… there’s some elements which have to be improved,” Rutte told Fox News on Monday.
Both Zelensky and Rutte also made a point to thank Trump for reviving interest in a diplomatic end to the war, which had waned after a meeting between the president and Putin fell through earlier this month.
Trump, who has said the 28-point peace plan is not his “final offer,” billed the talks in Geneva as positive, signaling that some progress was made towards a final proposal.
“Is it really possible that big progress is being made in Peace Talks between Russia and Ukraine??? Don’t believe it until you see it, but something good just may be happening,” Trump teased on Monday on Truth Social.
