Russia open to new peace proposals for Ukraine, with conditions
A senior Russian diplomat said on Friday that his country was prepared to consider new proposals on how to reach a settlement to the conflict with Ukraine, but stressed that any proposals must reflect “the reality on the ground.”
Sergei Ryabkov, Russia’s deputy foreign minister, said in an interview with the news website News.ru that the United States had demonstrated a willingness to engage in a “constructive dialogue” and showed an “understanding of Russia’s position.”
He explained that “at this stage, the most important question is the extent to which Washington can influence the decisions of the Kyiv regime and its European backers, who continue to dream of a ‘strategic defeat’ of Russia.”
Negotiations between Russia and the United States aimed at ending the conflict in Ukraine have largely stalled, amid broader international attention focused on the war in Iran.
The Kremlin said on Thursday that it had no information regarding a possible new visit to Moscow by U.S. presidential envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, who had previously led negotiations with Russia.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last month that Washington remained committed to helping bring the war to an end, following a meeting in Manila with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Rubio nevertheless warned that no quick agreement was on the horizon and said the United States was seeking to “find a compromise.”
Ryabkov confirmed that Russia was prepared to consider Rubio’s new ideas and continue its dialogue with Washington.
“The Russian Federation is ready to consider any reasonable proposals and ideas that are consistent with the objectives set by the Russian president and take into account the reality on the ground,” he added.
Nearly four and a half years after the outbreak of the war, Russia controls roughly one-fifth of Ukraine’s internationally recognized territory. Moscow has repeatedly said that it remains open to dialogue, provided that such talks take into account the “new reality on the ground.”
Nuclear talks
In the interview, Ryabkov also said that Russia was keen to continue dialogue with the United States on nuclear weapons.
The New START nuclear arms treaty expired in February, meaning that there are now no legally binding limits on the strategic arsenals of the world’s two largest nuclear powers, for the first time in more than half a century.
Moscow says it will continue to observe the treaty’s limits on missiles and warheads as long as Washington does the same.
“We remain open to finding political and diplomatic ways in the future to achieve stability in this area,” Ryabkov added.
