US proposals to end war do not address problems behind conflict, can’t accept them: Russia

Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said in an interview that the Kremlin takes the US proposals on Ukraine seriously but cannot accept them as is.

Speaking to the magazine International Affairs, Ryabkov said, “We take the proposed models and solutions very seriously, but we also cannot accept all of this as is. All that exists today is an attempt to find some kind of scheme that would allow us to initially achieve a ceasefire, as the Americans envision it.”

The current US proposals to end the war in Ukraine do not address problems due to which Moscow caused the conflict, he said, suggesting US-Russia talks had stalled.

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Ryabkov’s comments suggest that Moscow and Washington have not succeeded in bridging the differences that President Vladimir Putin raised over two weeks ago when he said US proposals needed reworking.

US President Donald Trump is growing increasingly impatient and said he is “pissed off” with Putin and has spoken of imposing sanctions on countries that buy Russian oil if he feels Moscow is blocking a deal.
“As far as we can see, there is no place in them today for our main demand, namely to solve the problems related to the root causes of this conflict. It is completely absent, and that must be overcome.”

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Putin wants Ukraine to drop its ambitions of joining NATO, Russia to control the entirety of four Ukrainian regions it has claimed as its own, and the Ukrainian army’s size to be limited.
Kyiv says Putin’s demands are tantamount to demanding its capitulation.

Asked about Trump’s remarks, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters earlier on Tuesday, “The subject is very complex. The substance that we are discussing, related to the Ukrainian settlement, is very complex. This requires a lot of extra effort.”
Russia also said on Tuesday it was fully complying with a U.S.-brokered moratorium on attacking Ukraine’s energy facilities.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told state TV that Defence Minister Andrei Belousov had briefed Putin on alleged Ukrainian violations during a meeting of Russia’s Security Council on Tuesday and a list of the violations was passed to US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

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Trump, who had till now taken a conciliatory approach towards Russia, has now adopted a tougher tone.

(With inputs from agencies)