Russia: We Cannot Accept US Proposals on Ukraine in Their Current Form

Russia has announced that it cannot accept the United States' proposals for ending the war in Ukraine in their current form, as these proposals do not address the issues that Moscow considers the cause of the conflict. According to Reuters, Sergey Ryabkov, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia, made this statement on Tuesday, April 1. The remarks from this senior Russian diplomat indicate that Moscow and Washington have yet to resolve their differences regarding the end of the war in Ukraine; differences that Russian President Vladimir Putin referred to over two weeks ago, stating that the US proposals need to be revised. This statement comes as Donald Trump, the President of the United States, appears to be growing increasingly impatient with what he perceives as Moscow's delay in reaching a broader agreement. Trump has recently expressed that he is 'angry' with Putin and has mentioned imposing sanctions on countries buying oil from Russia if he feels Moscow is obstructing the path to an agreement. Ryabkov, who specializes in Russia-US relations, stated that Moscow is not yet ready to advance an agreement. In an interview published on Tuesday in the state publication 'International Affairs,' he said, 'We are seriously examining the proposals and models that the Americans have presented, but we cannot accept them in their current form.' He added, 'As far as we see, there is no place in these proposals for our main demand, which is to resolve the issues related to the roots of this conflict. This issue has been completely ignored and must be addressed.' Putin had previously stated that he wanted Ukraine to abandon its efforts to join NATO, recognize Russia's complete control over four Ukrainian regions it claims, and limit the size of the Ukrainian army. Kyiv considers these demands equivalent to total surrender. On Tuesday, Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, in response to a question about Trump's recent statements calling for an agreement from Putin regarding Ukraine, told reporters, 'We continue our contacts with the American side.' He added, 'This matter is very complex. The content of the discussions related to the resolution of Ukraine is very difficult and requires much more effort.' Before the weekend holiday, Trump had taken a more conciliatory stance towards Russia, which raised concerns among Western allies, as he sought to end the conflict in its fourth year. However, in recent days, following consultations with European leaders, including the President of Finland who urged him to hold Russia accountable, Trump's tone has become stricter.