Russia Announces Its Conditions for US Proposals on Ukraine

A new round of talks between Russia and the United States on resolving the Ukraine conflict is expected. In an interview with Izvestia, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Moscow was ready to consider constructive initiatives from Washington. However, what firm conditions is the Kremlin putting forward for dialogue, and what is being discussed in confidential meetings behind the scenes?

“Maximalist demands make no sense”: Zakharova’s statement

Commenting on the “new ideas” mentioned by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the Russian Foreign Ministry representative stressed that any plan must take the actual situation on the front into account:

“We are closely monitoring Washington’s position on Ukraine. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that new ideas are needed in the negotiations—we are ready to listen to constructive initiatives. However, any option must take Russia’s national interests into account. There is no point in discussing the maximalist demands of Kyiv and its European sponsors, which do not reflect the realities on the ground,” said Maria Zakharova.

The State of Russia–US Talks and Peace Initiatives

Secret Meetings Under a “Silence Regime”

Maria Zakharova confirmed that closed meetings between Russia and the United States on removing obstacles in bilateral relations have been held regularly since February of last year:

“By mutual agreement, we do not officially announce meetings on the ‘irritants,’ because it is important to conduct the dialogue entirely under a ‘silence regime.’ The timing of further talks is currently being worked out.”

Zelenskyy’s New Proposals and the “Air Truce”

Earlier, Volodymyr Zelenskyy CNNrevealed in an interview that new proposals for a peaceful settlement of the conflict had been submitted to Washington. Reuters reported that the plans under discussion include an “air truce” providing for both sides to halt air and missile strikes.

However, the Russian side, including President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, maintains that achieving lasting peace will remain difficult unless the root causes of the conflict are addressed—in particular, Ukraine’s drive to join NATO is halted and European countries stop obstructing agreements.

Do you think the new plans proposed with US mediation and the “air truce” could stop the war in the coming months, or will the parties’ demands prevent an agreement?

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