A billboard displaying a Russian soldier participating in military actions in Ukraine, reading: "The Pride of Russia," in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on Monday, November 24 DMITRI LOVETSKY/AP
Russia, less optimistic than Donald Trump, is distancing itself from the United States' peace plan for Ukraine. It has forcefully rejected the latest amendments proposed by Kyiv and its European allies, which aimed to make the settlement of the conflict less favorable to Moscow.
The initial draft required Ukraine to cede territories not conquered militarily by Russia, reduce the size of its army and renounce joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Of the 28 points in the first version, only 19 remained after consultations with the Ukrainian side, with the latest version being less advantageous for Moscow. "Some points [of the 28-point plan] are positive. However, many others require special discussion among experts," said the Kremlin's diplomatic adviser, Yuri Ushakov, during a statement broadcast on Russian public television on Wednesday, November 26, adding that Russia had not been informed of the new 19-point version. He was also keen to stress that European participation in settling the conflict was "entirely unnecessary."
