Putin welcomes Trump's peace plan, threatens to seize more territory if Kyiv rejects proposal

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday welcomed the proposed peace deal and confirmed for the first time that Russia has formally received a copy of the peace plan. The peace plan is clearly favouring Russia and its maximalist ambitions.

"I believe that it could lay the foundation for a final peace settlement," said Putin in a statement. He also threatened to seize more Ukrainian territory, as Russian troops are closing in on the Ukrainian city of Kupiansk, "will inevitably be repeated in other key areas of the front line." Russian commander Sergei Kuzovlev referred to the Kupiansk city as a "key cog in Ukraine's defences."

28-point peace plan favours Russia

The 28-point draft peace plan imposes heavy burdens on Ukraine. The plan states that Ukraine will retain its sovereignty, but the subsequent restriction implies otherwise. Ukraine can't maintain more than 600,000 troops; it is also barred from joining NATO, and NATO is barred from accepting its membership. Around $100 billion worth of Russian frozen assets are to be used to rebuild Ukraine, which is unlikely to please Putin. However, Russia has the upper hand in the negotiation, and it is clearly visible in the terms of the deal. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, “We are fully open to dialogue and remain ready for peace negotiations,” while adding that the Russian military advances “make it clear to Zelensky and his government that it would be better to reach an agreement now rather than later.”

Ukraine has to acknowledge Russian control over Crimea and give up the Donbas region, which has been the focus of much of the fighting since the war began. For Putin, the proposal means that the US is not prepared for a confrontation with Russia, and it is a sign of victory for Russia.

The US-Russian peace plan comes at a difficult moment for Zelensky, as his government is embroiled in an energy corruption scandal, with Zelensky's ministers and business associates at the centre of the saga. In a statement, Zelensky, responding to the deal, said that he will give "arguments" and "alternatives". He said that Ukraine is facing the "most difficult moments" in its history, it faces a choice between "the loss of dignity" or "the risk of losing a key partner." He said, recalling his 2022 statement "We did not betray Ukraine then, and we will not do so now."