Why Russia Snubs Trump’s Proposed Ukraine War Peace Deal
LAGOS APRIL 30TH (NEWSRANGERS)-Russia has rejected a Ukraine war peace deal proposed by Donald Trump, the US president, because it does not grant international recognition to territory seized by Moscow’s troops.
Sergey Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, also suggested the plan did not satisfy the Kremlin’s demands to oust Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, and limit the size of Kyiv’s armed forces.
The rejection came as Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, offered a temporary, 72-hour truce next month to coincide with the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe.
The White House said Mr Trump, who is pushing for a deal to be agreed this week, wanted to see a “permanent ceasefire” but said he was growing “increasingly frustrated” with the leaders of both Russia and Ukraine.
Ukraine responded to Putin’s truce offer by calling for a month-long pause in the fighting to negotiate a more long-term peace settlement.
The remarks by Lavrov, the most senior Russian official to directly comment on Mr Trump’s take-it-or-leave it proposals, represent a hardening of Moscow’s position.
Russia’s lead diplomat said the “international recognition” of his country’s sovereignty over Crimea, as well as the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, which are only partially occupied by Russian forces, was “imperative”.
“Demilitarising and de-Nazifying Ukraine is also on the agenda, along with lifting sanctions, withdrawing lawsuits and cancelling arrest warrants, as well as returning Russian assets subjected to the so-called freeze in the West,” he added.
In further maximalist demands, Lavrov said Russia would require “solid security guarantees … in order to shield it from any threats emanating from hostile activities by Nato [and] the European Union”.
He made the comments in an interview with O Globo, the Brazilian newspaper, which was later republished in English on the Russian foreign ministry’s website.
The demands run contrary to the proposal shared by the US with Ukrainian officials at a recent meeting in Paris and refined at a similar gathering in London.
The seven-point agreement hands Russia de-facto control over vast swathes of Ukraine and US recognition of its control of Crimea.
But Mr Trump has reportedly warned Russia it could not demand limits on the size of Ukraine’s armed forces and defence industry as a price for peace.
European governments, led by Britain and France, that are preparing post-war security guarantees for Kyiv believe that building up its military is the best way of deterring future Russian attacks.
A failed peace proposal brokered between Ukraine and Russia at the beginning of the war partially fell through because it significantly curtailed Kyiv’s military powers.
On Monday, Putin announced a unilateral ceasefire from May 8 to May 11 to coincide with Victory Day in Russia, which commemorates the Soviet Union’s defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945.
“All hostilities will be suspended during this period,” the Kremlin said in a statement. “Russia believes that the Ukrainian side should follow this example.”
Putin also said he was ready to engage in peace talks as long as they addressed the “root causes” of his invasion of Ukraine.
His offer came after Mr Trump questioned whether the Russian president was “tapping me along” in a social media post following a meeting with Mr Zelensky at the Vatican on Saturday.
The Russian president previously offered an Easter truce when the US president last questioned whether he was serious about ending the war.
Responding to Putin, Andrii Sybiha, Ukraine’s foreign minister, said: “If Russia truly wants peace, it must cease fire immediately. Why wait until May 8? If the fire can be ceased now and since any date for 30 days – so it is real, not just for a parade.
“Ukraine is ready to support a lasting, durable, and full ceasefire. And this is what we are constantly proposing, for at least 30 days.”
Mr Zelensky agreed to Putin’s temporary ceasefire over Easter, but then accused Moscow of violating the truce more than 3,000 times.
Russia was also accused of using the pause in fighting to prepare units for further offensives against Ukrainian positions.
Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, told reporters Mr Trump “wants to see a permanent ceasefire and I understand Vladimir Putin this morning offered a temporary ceasefire.”
She added: “The president has made clear he wants to see a permanent ceasefire first, to stop the killing, stop the bloodshed.
“While he remains optimistic he can strike a deal, he also is being realistic as well. Both leaders need to come to the table to negotiate their way out of this.”
Meanwhile, the US and Ukraine could finally agree to a long-negotiated deal to share the war-torn country’s minerals and natural resources.
It is understood the Trump administration has dropped demands that would see America’s previous support for Ukraine paid for out of a fund set up by the agreement.
Announcing the concession, Denys Shmyhal, Ukraine’s prime minister, wrote on Sunday: “I was agreed that assistance provided prior to the signing of the agreement will not be counted towards it.”
The deal was at the heart of a bitter row between Mr Trump and Mr Zelensky at the Oval Office in February.
Kyiv’s Western allies have since spent time trying to persuade the Ukrainians to return to the table to negotiate the agreement in a sign of good faith to the US president.
The Telegraph
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Posted by News Rangers
on Apr 30 2025. Filed under International, National.
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