Russia has said it will not budge on key demands in any talks to end its war with Ukraine, as the European Union warned that the renewed US push for peace must not lead to the “carving up” of the embattled country.
White House envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to travel to Moscow for talks on US-backed peace proposals next week, despite revelations that he advised senior Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov last month on how best to pitch ideas for Ukraine to US president Donald Trump.
Mr Trump has claimed that a peace deal is now “very close” and Ukrainian and European officials welcomed changes that they say were made to the initial 28-point US peace plan at talks in Geneva last Sunday – even as Russian officials backed the original document and warned that they would not accept revisions to important points.
“There can be no talk of any concessions or of abandoning our approaches to the key aspects of resolving the challenges that face us, including in the context of the SVO,” Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Wednesday, referring to the “special military operation” – Moscow’s term for its nearly four-year war with Ukraine.
READ MORE
Russia was determined “to achieve our stated goals, preferably through diplomatic means. If there are any setbacks, then we will continue to act within the framework of the SVO,” he added.
Mr Ushakov said Russia had received US peace proposals “unofficially” and would review them with Mr Witkoff and other US officials in Moscow.
“We have not discussed it with anyone yet, because the document truly requires serious analysis and discussion. While certain aspects can be viewed positively, much requires special discussion between experts,” he added.
Mr Ushakov, a low-key but influential and highly experienced diplomat who advises Russian president Vladimir Putin on foreign policy, found himself in the spotlight on Wednesday after Bloomberg published transcripts of two of his phone conversations with Mr Witkoff and Kirill Dmitriev, a leading figure in Russia’s talks with Washington.
In the calls, Mr Witkoff advises Mr Ushakov on how best to present proposals on Ukraine to Mr Trump, and Mr Dmitriev suggests “informally” giving a paper stating Russia’s position on Ukraine to Washington, in the hope that the US will use it “like their own”.
Critics of the original 28-point peace plan unveiled by the US last week said it did in fact resemble a Russian wish list on Ukraine, but Mr Dmitriev dismissed the report as “fake” and an attempt to derail peace efforts.
Mr Ushakov appeared to confirm that the conversations took place, however, saying that “someone is leaking, someone is eavesdropping, but not us ... There are certain conversations on WhatsApp that, generally speaking, someone might somehow be able to listen to.”
'The world looks very different from here' - Denis Staunton's global briefing
European leaders are demanding a role in discussions on Ukraine’s future, while the Kremlin accuses them of trying to sabotage what it claims are the good-faith efforts of Mr Putin and Mr Trump to end the war and rebuild Russia-US relations.
“The first priority is that any agreement should deliver a just and lasting peace. And it should ensure real security for Ukraine and Europe ... So Ukraine needs robust, long-term and credible security guarantees,” EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday.
“Second priority – upholding Ukraine’s sovereignty ... So we need to be clear that there cannot be unilateral carving up of a sovereign European nation,” she added.
“Sovereignty also means being able to choose your own future. Ukraine has chosen a European destiny ... Europe’s future is bound to Ukraine’s future. And therefore, Ukraine’s future lies in the European Union.”
