MOSCOW, November 21. /TASS/. Moscow is giving Kiev a chance to stop the bloodshed and end the conflict and it is up to Ukraine to take it or not, a senior Russian lawmaker said.
"Moscow is giving another chance to end the conflict and halt the bloodshed. But, as they say, the ball is in Ukraine’s court. The Russian army is liberating Donbass step by step. The situation on the battlefield apparently is not at Ukraine’s advantage. And this is a more than convincing argument," Leonid Slutsky, chairman of the international committee of the Russian State Duma, or lower house of parliament, and leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR), told TASS.
At the same time, he noted that European leaders from the war party are apparently set to continue "putting spokes in the wheel" of the settlement process. "The European establishment is largely vexed that the Banderite narratives are a thing of the past and attempts to bargain a seat at the negotiating table for the Old World are failing," Slutsky explained.
He noted that, according to the Bild newspaper, Germany "is leading Europe’s efforts" to counter the United States’ peace plan. In this context, he pointed out that French President Emmanuel Macron is seeking to "compete" with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. "Only one conclusion can be made: European capitals don’t want peace in Ukraine and are going to torpedo [US President Donald] Trump’s initiatives by offering various formats of a conditional Minsk-3 to buy time to rearm the corrupt Banderite regime," he added.
During a meeting with members of the Russian Security Council earlier in the day, President Vladimir Putin said that Russia is ready for talks and the United States’ 28-point peace plan can be used as a groundwork for a peaceful settlement in Ukraine. Nevertheless, the Russian side is satisfied with the progress on the battlefield and id Kiev rejects the plan, Russian will achieve the goals of its special military operation by military means, he added.
Under the US peace plan, details of which were leaked to the Western media, the United States and other countries would recognize Russia’s sovereignty over Crimea, Donbass and other territories Ukraine will have to cede. In exchange, Kiev will be granted security guarantees from the United States and Europe. A demilitarized zone is to be created in areas Ukrainian troops will be withdrawn from. The Ukrainian army will be heavily reduced and stripped of long-range weapons. The plan also provides for a ban on the deployment of foreign troops in Ukraine and recognizing the Russian language as a state one. According to Bloomberg, the plan also envisages the lifting of the anti-Russian sanctions.