The Kremlin is now also reacting to US plans in Ukraine – according to a familiar pattern. President Putin said the details needed to be discussed. At the same time, he threatened: If Ukraine does not agree, the war will continue.
The Kremlin has received a copy of the US peace plan for Ukraine. President Vladimir Putin acknowledged this at the start of a meeting of the Security Council of the Russian Federation: “We have this text, we received it through existing channels with the American government. I believe this plan can also become the basis for a final peace solution.”
Putin has once again shown himself open to negotiations, a typical Kremlin boss approach: diplomatic solutions, meetings, talks – all of which he likes. Putin has explained this many times, only to later sidestep, ploy, stall, and point out nuances that still need to be discussed.
In this regard, Putin has now expressed his opinion again. “As I have said several times, we are ready for peaceful negotiations and a peaceful solution to this problem,” said the Russian ruler. “Of course, this requires substantive discussion of all the details of the proposed plan.” So this time there are no nuances but details. However, the current points need to be discussed specifically in terms of content.
Putin: Ukraine and Europe “are under illusions”
However, the US government has not yet approached the Russian side to discuss the 28-point plan, Putin continued. “And I can also imagine the reason: The US government has not been able to get approval from the Ukrainian side; Ukraine is against it.”
In the evening, Putin also explained why this was done using the famous phrase: “Apparently Ukraine and its European allies still harbor illusions and dream of being able to inflict strategic defeat on Russia on the battlefield.”
Putin threatened me to continue “Special operations”
The fact that Ukraine’s political leadership and its allies in the European Union would likely view the 28-point plan as a benchmark for surrender may have crossed Putin’s mind, but it has not come out of his mouth. According to publications in some media, the plan mainly includes Ukraine’s concessions to Russia: surrender of territory, withdrawal of Ukrainian armed forces from the eastern regions of Ukraine, reduction of the number of the Ukrainian army and renunciation of NATO membership, which is enshrined in the constitution.
Putin indirectly threatened to continue the war if Ukraine did not get involved. “And overall it doesn’t matter to us, because this leads to achieving the goals of the ‘special operation’,” Putin said – “by force of arms, as part of the armed struggle.”
In principle, Putin reiterated that he prefers a peaceful solution. Putin’s nightly appearance was a repetition of well-known patterns that left little room for hope of something new.
