The Kremlin said Tuesday that the proposal made by Ukrainian President Volodomir Zelensky for a peace agreement is actually a step «to continue hostilities,» while denying the possibility of a Russian troop withdrawal from Ukrainian territory before the end of the year.
«These are three steps towards the continuation of hostilities,» Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said, referring to the so-called ‘three-step’ plan for peace, as reported by the Russian news agency Interfax.
He also stressed that a possible military withdrawal from Ukraine «is not feasible» and argued that «Ukraine has to accept the realities that have emerged during this time». «There are realities that have taken place due to the policy pursued over the last 15-20 years by the Ukrainian leadership and the current Ukrainian regime,» he said.
«These realities indicate that Russia has new constituents that appeared as a result of referendums in those territories. Without taking into account these realities it is impossible to achieve progress,» he has argued, referring to Moscow’s decision to annex in September the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporiyia, partially occupied in the framework of the invasion.
Zelensky said on Monday that his proposal includes the delivery of more weaponry by his partners to «shorten Russian aggression», as well as achieving financial and social stability in Ukraine by 2023 and «new diplomacy» leading to a process of negotiations to «stop Russian aggression».
«Ukraine has always led the process of negotiations and has done everything possible to stop Russian aggression. Now we feel that an opportunity to use diplomacy to achieve the liberation of all our peoples and all our territories is closer,» he said, according to a statement from the Ukrainian Presidency.
Therefore, the president proposed to hold a «special summit» to «determine how and when the points of the Ukrainian Peace Formula can be implemented» and called on the G7 leaders to «show leadership in the implementation of the peace formula in its entirety or on some specific points in particular.»
