Russian President Vladimir Putin’s top foreign policy aide, Yury Ushakov, has criticized recent changes made by European countries and Ukraine to the United States’ proposal for ending the war in Ukraine, stating that the modifications do not improve the prospects for peace.

“I am sure that the proposals that the Europeans and Ukrainians have made or are trying to make definitely do not improve the document and do not improve the possibility of achieving long-term peace,” Ushakov said, according to Russian news agencies.

Background: US Peace Proposal Under Scrutiny

The US-drafted 20-point plan for ending nearly four years of conflict in Ukraine was leaked to the media last month, raising concerns among European and Ukrainian officials that the plan might favor Russia’s wartime demands. Some feared that the plan could pressure Kyiv into conceding too much, potentially undermining Ukraine’s territorial integrity.

Since the leak, European and Ukrainian negotiators have met with US envoys in an effort to amend the draft, although the exact details of the changes have not been publicly disclosed.

High-Level Meetings in Florida

Ushakov’s comments came shortly after Putin’s special envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, met in Florida with US special envoy Steve Witkoff and former US presidential adviser Jared Kushner. Dmitriev confirmed that discussions would continue, while US officials also held meetings with European and Ukrainian delegations since Friday.

According to Witkoff, the talks focused on four key areas:

1. Further development of the US 20-point plan
2. A multilateral security guarantee framework
3. A US security guarantee framework for Ukraine
4. Economic and reconstruction plans to rebuild Ukraine

Negotiators also discussed “timelines” and the “sequencing of next steps,” although talks with Russian officials were not detailed in Witkoff’s statement.

Zelenskyy Calls for Broader European Consultations

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that his diplomatic team should hold further consultations with European allies to coordinate positions more broadly. “There is a shared sense that after the work by our diplomatic team in the United States, we should now hold consultations with European partners in a broader circle,” Zelenskyy said in a social media post.

Zelenskyy also expressed conditional support for three-way talks involving the US, Russia, and Ukraine, particularly if they could facilitate the exchange of prisoners. However, Russian officials, including Ushakov, claimed that such discussions had not been formally considered.

Disagreement Over European Amendments

Russia accuses European leaders of attempting to sabotage negotiations by introducing conditions they know are unacceptable to Moscow. Ushakov’s comments reflect Moscow’s resistance to modifications that could limit Russia’s strategic gains, particularly in territories seized during the 2025 offensives, when Russian forces reportedly captured 12-17 square kilometers of Ukrainian land per day.

European and Ukrainian officials, in contrast, maintain that Russia cannot be allowed to achieve its aims through territorial expansion, which they describe as an imperial-style land grab.

Ongoing Fighting in Ukraine

While diplomatic efforts continue, the war on the ground in Ukraine persists. Ukrainian forces are currently resisting a renewed Russian offensive in the Sumy region, where reports indicate that Moscow forcibly relocated 50 civilians from a border village.

Ukraine’s joint task force reported that fighting is ongoing in the village of Hrabovske, with troops attempting to push Russian forces back across the border. Zelenskyy noted that, over the past week, Russia launched approximately 1,300 attack drones, 1,200 guided aerial bombs, and nine missiles targeting Ukrainian positions.

Conclusion

Russia’s rejection of European amendments to the US peace proposal underscores the complexity of diplomatic negotiations in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. With both diplomatic talks and ground fighting continuing simultaneously, achieving a lasting resolution remains highly uncertain.