LONDON, June 25. /TASS/. The plan proposed by former US President Donald Trump's advisers to settle the conflict in Ukraine should take into account the situation on the battlefield, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Reuters.
"The value of any plan lies in the nuances and in taking into account the real state of affairs on the ground," he said, commenting on the settlement plan drafted by Keith Kellogg and Fred Fleitz, reported by the agency earlier. Peskov added that he had no information on "what kind of plan we are talking about, or what is set out in it."
According to the spokesman, Russian President Vladimir Putin "has repeatedly said that Russia has been and remains open to negotiations, taking into account the real state of affairs on the ground." "Putin recently came up with a peace initiative, which unfortunately was not accepted by either the West or by the Ukrainians themselves," Peskov recalled.
Earlier, Reuters reported that Trump's advisers proposed to withdraw US support for Ukraine if Kiev refused to negotiate with Moscow. They also indicated that the US should increase its assistance to Ukraine if Russia refuses to negotiate. According to the advisers, Russia could be persuaded to take a seat at the negotiating table if it is given assurances that Ukraine will forgo joining NATO any time soon. Meanwhile, Trump's advisers suggested that the peace treaty should enshrine a ceasefire regime based on the existing frontline.
According to Fleitz, Ukraine should not officially cede territory to Russia, although Kiev is unlikely to regain control of all territory in the short term. He also noted that "peace" would require providing Kiev with additional security guarantees, which would involve giving Kiev weapons.
On June 4, Putin put forward his latest peace proposal for the settlement of the Ukrainian conflict, which envisages the recognition of the status of Crimea, the Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics, the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions as Russian constituencies, the consolidation of Ukraine's non-aligned and nuclear-free status, its demilitarization and denazification, and the lifting of anti-Russian sanctions. The Ukrainian side rejected the initiative.