BUDAPEST, November 20. /TASS/. The new US plan for Ukraine aims to remove Vladimir Zelensky from power and force other Western countries to partially satisfy Russia's demands, Endre Simo, head of the Hungarian Peace Circle non-governmental organization, told a TASS correspondent.

Commenting on the main provisions of the US initiative to settle the Ukrainian conflict that appeared in the press, the expert noted that the 28-point plan has not been officially approved by Russia and does not explicitly address Russia's demands to eliminate the root causes of the conflict. "Rather, its goal is to remove Zelensky from power and install another pro-Western person in his place, and at the same time to convince the European powers of NATO that at least partial satisfaction of Russian demands is inevitable," he said.

According to Simo, the new US plan is "a step towards Russian demands related to Ukraine, [but] it can hardly be called their satisfaction." At the same time, the expert noted that Russia consistently adheres to such goals as the denazification, demilitarization, and neutrality of Ukraine. In addition, in December 2021, Moscow submitted its demands in the field of international security to the US and NATO, but Washington and Brussels rejected them.

"Since Russia’s security demands are not only related to Ukraine, it seems likely that the peace agreement on Ukraine will ultimately be born in a more comprehensive international framework, possibly in a European-Eurasian security process," Simo pointed out.

He acknowledged the possibility of reaching "interim agreements on Ukraine." However, if the US adheres to the agreements made during the meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump on August 15 in Alaska, "according to which the conflict in Ukraine can only be resolved by eliminating its root causes, then the conclusion of peace is probably still further away," the NGO head emphasized. Simo explained that the US plan " does not include the elimination of the causes [of the conflict], although it does not rule it out."

US waiting for Kiev's reaction

According to details of the US plan leaked to the Western media, the US and other countries will recognize Russia's sovereignty over Crimea, Donbass, and other territories Ukraine will cede. In return, Kiev will receive American and European security guarantees. A demilitarized zone will be created in the areas from which Ukrainian troops will withdraw. According to Axios, the line of contact between the parties in the Kherson and Zaporozhye Regions will be frozen, and Russia will return some areas to Ukraine. The Ukrainian armed forces will be significantly reduced and stripped of long-range weapons. Deployment of foreign troops in the country will be prohibited.

"The American plan would end with the capitulation of Ukraine, they say in Zelensky’s circle," Simo noted. Nevertheless, the US is waiting for Kiev's response to its initiative. "Washington reportedly let him [Zelensky] know he had to ‘take it’," the expert emphasized.

Earlier, in response to a TASS question, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that there are no new developments in the Ukrainian settlement beyond the agreements reached in Alaska by Russian President Vladimir Putin and US leader Donald Trump.