Russia has said it is yet to receive anything official from the US on its peace plan, after Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky said he was ready to work with the Trump administration on its 'vision' to bring an end to the war.
The widely leaked US plan includes proposals that Kyiv had previously ruled out, such as ceding areas of the eastern Donetsk region that it still controls, reducing its army in size, and pledging not to join NATO.
These provisions come across as heavily slanted towards Moscow and received a carefully-worded response from Zelensky's office on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Russian strikes continue, claiming six lives overnight — five in the southern Zaporizhzhia region and one in the eastern Dnipropetrovsk region.
The draft plan emerges as Russia claims small territorial gains in eastern Ukraine, while Zelensky faces an internal crisis involving top officials in a $100 million corruption scandal.
The White House has responded to suggestions that Ukraine was excluded from the plan's drafting, affirming that US special envoy Steve Witkoff engaged with Ukrainian officials, including Rustem Umerov, a senior member of Zelensky’s administration.
In a post on Telegram, Umerov stated that the draft was still under consideration and emphasized Ukraine’s ongoing evaluation of its partners' proposals.
Zelensky has been careful not to overtly critique the plan, aiming to maintain a positive relationship with the upcoming US administration led by Trump. He has publicly stated that he values attempts to restore security in Europe.
In a direct statement, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri Peskov reiterated that Russia had not officially received any details regarding the US's peace plan, expressing Russia's openness to further peace talks.
The plan has raised eyebrows within Ukraine, with sentiments that it might not represent a true peace initiative but rather continue the conflict.
As Moscow controls approximately 20% of Ukraine, both Ukrainian allies and the EU emphasize the necessity of including Ukrainian and European voices in any peace negotiation.
Discussions surrounding the potentially controversial proposals continue, as hopes for a diplomatic resolution linger amidst escalating military tensions.
