MOSCOW, November 25. /TASS/. Europe is attempting to reshape the US peace plan for Ukraine, while NATO is preparing for a potential confrontation as it conducts yet another exercise near the Russian border. Meanwhile, US leader Donald Trump has announced new sanctions on Russian oil. These stories topped Tuesday’s newspaper headlines across Russia.
Following Geneva consultations on a 28-point US peace plan, Washington and Kiev highlighted "substantial progress" in bringing their positions closer together and drafting a new initiative. According to media reports, as the next step, the United States and Ukraine should finalize the document before sending it to Moscow. Meanwhile, Russia has not yet seen the latest draft. In parallel, European capitals put forward their own version of a framework agreement that the State Duma views as an attempt by Brussels to reshape Washington’s proposals to serve the EU’s interests. Moscow anticipates the United States will reach out directly soon. In a conversation with Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin affirmed that the US-proposed plan may serve as the basis of a future peace agreement.
It’s hard to say whether the Geneva meeting was effective, Valdai program director Oleg Barabanov told Izvestia. On the one hand, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the head of the Ukrainian presidential office, Andrey Yermak, expressed their satisfaction with the outcome and declared great progress. "At the same time, Rubio also said that the Americans are well aware of Moscow's 'red lines' as they try not to cross them. So, this looks like a compromise, and it's hard to say whether Russia will like it or not, but obviously Russia's red lines’ have at least been outlined," he said.
