Moscow: Russia is preparing 'relevant contacts' with the United States concerning a revised Ukraine peace plan that has been under discussion over the past few weeks, the Kremlin announced on Thursday. In comments made to the state-owned Radio Mayak, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the last two weeks as 'very busy,' highlighting negotiations that have taken place in various European capitals involving Ukrainian, American, and European officials.
According to Anadolu Agency, Peskov mentioned that the discussions, which included Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, focused on a 'set of key points' agreed upon at the August 15 summit in Alaska between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump. Further talks between Putin and US envoy Steve Witkoff continued to refine these points. Peskov stated, "Let's see what happened to this set of talking points, and see how Zelenskyy and the Ukrainians have influenced them. To understand how much it has changed, we are currently preparing the relevant contacts with the Americans."
The announcement coincides with Zelenskyy's statement that a new round of talks with US officials is scheduled for Friday and Saturday in the United States. Kyiv's delegation is reportedly already on its way to meet with the American side.
This week, President Trump expressed optimism, stating that the parties are 'closer now than we have been ever' to reaching a settlement to end the over-three-and-a-half-year conflict between Russia and Ukraine. A US official, who briefed reporters earlier, mentioned that Trump was 'really pleased' with the progress made in the European talks, noting that approximately 90% of the issues between the parties have been resolved, although some key matters remain.
Officials have indicated that the proposed security guarantees for Ukraine include assurances similar to Article 5 of NATO's collective defense pledge. Trump is reportedly willing to submit these measures to the US Senate for ratification. Recent discussions saw the US engaging in two days of talks with Ukrainian and European leaders in Berlin. European leaders issued a joint statement on Monday detailing the security guarantees under consideration, which include an 800,000-strong Ukrainian army, a multinational force to support Ukraine, and a US-led ceasefire monitoring system.