Moscow's plan regarding Ukraine, reportedly recently presented to the U.S., reiterates most of the Kremlin's maximalist demands, including Kyiv's concession of its territory and the demilitarization of Ukraine. What is new in this proposed concept is the timing chosen by the RF for its promotion.
According to recent reports, Russia has presented Washington with its latest framework proposal for ending the war against Ukraine.
The plan reiterates most of Russia's maximalist demands, which Moscow has put forward since the first days of its full-scale invasion, often citing them as reasons for starting the war.
American media reports that the plan includes calls for Kyiv to relinquish control of territories in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, which it still holds, significantly reduce the size of its armed forces, and even abandon many types of weaponry.
Who is behind this plan?
The provisions of the plan mentioned above reflect Moscow's long-standing demands from Ukraine, which include only concessions from Kyiv, but none from Moscow.
It is believed that the plan was drafted by Russia's special envoy Kirill Dmitriev, who then handed it over to the special envoy of U.S. President Donald Trump, Steve Witkoff.
Putin's aide Dmitriev was in the U.S. in October for talks with Washington officials after the next meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin was canceled and the White House announced tough sanctions against Russia. Reportedly, Dmitriev met with Witkoff in Miami at the end of October for three days of negotiations.
Officially, Dmitriev is the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) and the special representative of the President of Russia for investment and economic cooperation with foreign countries.
A native of Kyiv, educated in the U.S., he has been a key figure in the Kremlin's dealings with the Trump administration. He also participated in the Trump-Putin summit that took place in Alaska in August of this year.
After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Dmitriev was sanctioned by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, which included him on the list of "close associates of Putin" and his family.
Reportedly, earlier this year, the U.S. government temporarily lifted sanctions against Dmitriev so that the State Department could issue him a visa to enter the U.S.
What does the U.S. administration say?
After his meeting with Putin in Alaska, Trump began to lose patience in relations with the Kremlin.
In October, for the first time since his return to the White House, Trump announced tough sanctions against Russia, including against its two largest oil companies - Rosneft and Lukoil.
Currently, American lawmakers are drafting a bill that would impose sanctions on countries purchasing Russian oil and gas. The goal is to deprive Moscow of its main source of income as peace talks have stalled.
The proposed U.S. Senate bill could impose 500% tariffs on countries trading with Russia, including major buyers like India and China.
The U.S. President stated on Sunday that "any country doing business with Russia will face very tough sanctions."
However, Moscow's willingness to freeze the war against Ukraine along the current line of contact and to start further peace negotiations would halt the imposition of new sanctions. This is the basis of Trump's proposal, which is supported by Ukraine and the European Union.
In light of new reports about Moscow's latest framework proposal, which includes only concessions from Ukraine, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Washington "will continue to develop a list of possible ideas for ending this war based on proposals from both sides of the conflict."
"Achieving a lasting peace will require both sides to agree to difficult but necessary concessions," Rubio stated in his post on X on Thursday.
The head of EU foreign policy, Kaia Kallas, warned on Thursday that for any plan to work, it must involve Ukrainians and Europeans, while French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot stated that "Ukrainians do not want any form of capitulation."
Reaction in Kyiv
The reported plan has not sparked optimism or support from Kyiv.
For Ukraine, any territorial concessions to Russia are not an option, as Kyiv has repeatedly stated that it will never agree to cede its temporarily occupied territories to Moscow. The Kremlin's maximalist demands are perceived in Ukraine as a capitulation of Kyiv, which has nothing to do with compromise.
Meanwhile, senior Pentagon officials traveled to Ukraine on Thursday to "discuss efforts to end the war," U.S. military officials stated.
The delegation, believed to be the highest-ranking military group to visit Kyiv since Trump took office in January, is led by U.S. Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll. He is expected to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday.
The talks are expected to focus on the battlefield situation and plans for a possible ceasefire. It is unclear whether Moscow's new proposal will be discussed.
After talks with U.S. Secretary of Defense on Wednesday, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Shmyhal wrote on X: "We focused on the next steps for implementing the historic defense agreements reached by President Zelensky and President Trump."
On Wednesday, the President of Ukraine visited Turkey and then met with the Pentagon delegation.
Zelensky stated that his idea is to resume negotiations with Russia, which have stalled for four months after a series of low-level talks in Istanbul.
He explained that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan "offered formats for negotiations" and added that Ankara "is ready to provide a venue for them."
According to Zelensky, Ukraine will continue to support U.S. leadership in its efforts to end the war unleashed by Russia, likely referring to the idea of freezing hostilities along the current line of contact as a first step.
"Only President Trump and the United States have enough power to end this war."
Anti-corruption investigation in Ukraine
The alleged new plan from Russia has emerged at an unfortunate time for Kyiv, as Ukraine is shaken by the largest anti-corruption investigation during Zelensky's presidency.
Zelensky is expected to hold talks on Thursday with government ministers, parliamentary leadership, and members of his Servant of the People faction.
For more than a week, Ukraine's anti-corruption agencies have been revealing the results of a lengthy investigation into a corruption scheme involving the state company Energoatom.
Some ministers of the Ukrainian government have already resigned due to their alleged involvement in this case.
Zelensky has also announced sanctions against his former business partner Timur Mindich, who is considered the organizer of the corruption scheme and has fled Ukraine.
Civil society and lawmakers in Ukraine have also called on Zelensky to dismiss the head of the President's Office, Andriy Yermak.
Yermak, possibly the most loyal political ally of the Ukrainian president, plays a prominent diplomatic role in negotiations with Western partners, including the U.S. administration.
His broad powers have been discussed among Ukrainian and even foreign officials. He has not even been mentioned among the accused in the ongoing anti-corruption investigation.
Amid intensified Russian attacks on Ukraine's civilian energy infrastructure and a corruption scandal that has shocked Ukraine and beyond, the so-called new Moscow plan has emerged at a challenging time for Ukraine's leadership.
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