KEY POINTS
- Russia rejects European and Ukrainian changes to US peace proposals.
- Kremlin adviser says revisions fail to address Moscow’s concerns.
- US–Russia talks continue in Florida between Kirill Dmitriev, Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner.
- Kremlin dismisses idea of three-way talks involving Russia, Ukraine, and the US.
- EU agrees to provide €90 billion for Ukraine’s military and economic needs.
MOSCOW: Russia on Sunday rejected European and Ukrainian revisions to US-backed proposals aimed at ending the war in Ukraine, saying the changes did not improve the prospects for a lasting peace.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s top foreign policy aide, Yuri Ushakov, said amendments proposed by Kyiv and European capitals had failed to address Moscow’s concerns and would not advance efforts to end the nearly four-year conflict.
The US-drafted peace framework, which was leaked to the media last month, raised concerns in Europe and Ukraine that it favoured Russia and could pressure Kyiv into making concessions.
Since then, European and Ukrainian negotiators have held talks with envoys of US President Donald Trump in an effort to insert their own proposals into the draft. The content of the revised document has not been made public.
Ushakov told reporters in Moscow that the changes would not improve the chances of peace.
“This is not a forecast,” Ushakov was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies. “But I am sure that the proposals that the Europeans and Ukrainians have made, or are trying to make, do not improve the document and do not improve the possibility of achieving long-term peace.”
He added that he had not yet seen the full revised proposals in writing.
US–Russia talks in Florida
Ushakov’s comments came after Putin’s special envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, met US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner in Florida on Saturday, Reuters reported.
Dmitriev said the talks were constructive and would continue on Sunday.
“The discussions are proceeding constructively. They began earlier and will continue today, and will also continue tomorrow,” Dmitriev told reporters in Miami, according to Russian state media.
The Florida meeting followed US discussions on Friday with Ukrainian and European officials as part of Washington’s diplomatic push to broker an end to the war.
No three-way talks: Kremlin
The Kremlin also dismissed the idea of three-way talks involving Russia, Ukraine and the United States.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that Kyiv would support a US proposal for trilateral talks if it led to more prisoner exchanges and paved the way for meetings between national leaders.
Ushakov rejected the notion, saying such talks were not under consideration.
“At present, no one has seriously discussed this initiative, and to my knowledge, it is not in preparation,” he said.
Russia has repeatedly accused European leaders of attempting to derail peace efforts by attaching conditions it says would be unacceptable to Moscow.
Competing visions for peace
At stake is whether Putin will agree to an end to the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War Two, the future political and territorial shape of Ukraine, and whether any US-brokered agreement would be durable.
Russia says European powers are intent on undermining talks, while Ukraine and its allies argue that Moscow must not be allowed to achieve what they describe as an imperial-style land grab.
Russia has said its forces seized between 12 and 17 square kilometres of Ukrainian territory per day in 2025.
No compromise on territory
Earlier this week, Putin indicated he was unwilling to compromise on Russia’s demands that Ukraine cede territory.
Speaking at the annual meeting of Russia’s defence ministry, Putin said Moscow would prefer to resolve the conflict through diplomacy but would use force if necessary.
“If the opposing country and its foreign patrons refuse to engage in substantive discussions, Russia will achieve the liberation of its historical lands through military means,” he said.
Russia has captured parts of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region but does not fully control it. According to the US-based Institute for the Study of War, at the current pace of advance Russia would not capture the entire region until August 2027.
Zelensky has said Ukraine will not recognise occupied parts of Donbas as Russian, either legally or in practice.
European funding for Ukraine
The French presidency on Sunday welcomed Putin’s willingness to speak with President Emmanuel Macron, saying it would decide how to proceed in the coming days.
“As soon as the prospect of a ceasefire and peace negotiations becomes clearer, it becomes useful again to speak with Putin,” Macron’s office said, adding that any dialogue would be conducted in coordination with Ukraine and European partners.
European Union leaders on Friday agreed to provide 90 billion euros to support Ukraine’s military and economic needs over the next two years.
They failed, however, to reach consensus on using frozen Russian assets to fund the package and instead opted to borrow from capital markets.
