Kremlin Rejects US Peace Proposals Amid Ongoing Ukraine Conflict
Moscow has firmly described the latest US peace proposals regarding Ukraine as "unacceptable," pointing to limited progress made by Donald Trump since assuming office in January. Sergei Ryabkov, a foreign policy adviser to President Vladimir Putin, acknowledged in an interview with the Russian magazine International Affairs that discussions between the US and Russia concerning Ukraine have stalled recently.
"We take the models and solutions proposed by the Americans very seriously, but we can't accept it all in its current form," Ryabkov was quoted as stating. He highlighted that the current proposals do not adequately address Russia's fundamental demands, particularly the need to resolve the underlying issues that initiated the conflict.
Putin has consistently emphasized these root causes to justify his rigid stance in negotiations aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. Among the preconditions he has established for a ceasefire are the recognition of Crimea's annexation and of four partially controlled regions in southeast Ukraine, the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from those territories, an assurance that Ukraine will never join NATO, and commitments to demilitarization. These conditions would effectively undermine Ukraine's sovereignty, tethering it closer to Russia's influence.
In recent weeks, Putin has suggested the need for regime change in Ukraine, asserting that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy lacks the legitimacy to enter into any peace agreements and implying the necessity of external governance for Ukraine.
Amid this backdrop, President Trump has expressed growing impatience with the lack of tangible progress in the resolution of the war, frustrated by the stances of both Russian and Ukrainian leaders. Over the weekend, Trump voiced his displeasure with Putin’s approach to achieving a ceasefire, threatening to impose tariffs on Russian oil if an agreement is not realized within a month. This marked a notable change in Trump's tone towards Putin, whom he had previously praised. However, Trump later tempered his comments, remarking that Ukraine was attempting to renegotiate an economic arrangement with the US.
Despite numerous US-facilitated meetings and discussions that ostensibly reached a 30-day energy ceasefire agreement, both sides have continued to target each other's energy infrastructure. The Trump administration's efforts to mediate a ceasefire in the Black Sea faced obstacles, as Russia sought to attach conditions to the deal, including the relaxation of European sanctions, which Brussels swiftly rejected.
Grigory Karasin, Russia's representative in recent talks with the US, acknowledged a lack of significant progress and indicated that negotiations might extend into the following year. Nonetheless, Trump's administration has expressed determination to end the war, with the president announcing plans to speak with Putin again this week.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb, who met with Trump, proposed an April 20 deadline for Putin to agree to a full ceasefire. However, sources close to the Kremlin suggest that Moscow is unlikely to accept a ceasefire without obtaining some of its key demands, including halting all arms and intelligence supplies to Ukraine from the US and its allies.
Fyodor Lukyanov, a prominent Russian foreign policy analyst, concluded that Russia is prepared to continue fighting in the ongoing conflict, which he claims Russia is gradually winning, especially with the US's seeming withdrawal of support. "Why should we rush in a situation like this?" he noted, framing the continuing hostilities as advantageous to Russian interests.
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