Russia and Ukraine remain divided on the path to peace amid diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis, with disagreement over whether a ceasefire or the framework agreement of a peace plan should be prioritized.
Speaking at an embassy roundtable discussion on Thursday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russia is focused on eliminating the root cause of Ukraine crisis, while accusing some European countries of seeking a ceasefire only to buy time for military assistance to Ukraine.
Lavrov also provided updates on the latest Russia-U.S. talks, which he said are aimed at finding a long-term resolution to the conflict.
He said Russia welcomes U.S. President Donald Trump's efforts toward a diplomatic solution to the Ukraine conflict, but stressed that goodwill alone is insufficient.
Russia is committed to reaching a package of agreements for a lasting, sustainable, long-term peace with security guarantees for all involved parties, the foreign minister added.
On the same day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine still wants a ceasefire to be implemented before signing the framework agreement of a peace plan, despite negotiations between Russia and the United States having established that such an agreement is a prerequisite for a ceasefire.
Zelensky told reporters that it is no secret that the Russians will not agree to a ceasefire if there is no agreement in place.
He also noted that the current U.S. position is to reach a comprehensive ceasefire agreement first before addressing other matters.
According to Zelensky, Ukraine has handed a revised peace plan proposal to the United States, although it has not yet been finalized.
The new proposal has reduced the initial 28 points proposed by the U.S. side down to 20, Zelensky said, indicating that this will continue to be refined and modified.
He said the plan is not a single document but rather a series of documents, many of which are still in draft form and cover various aspects, including Ukraine's post-war economy and recovery, security guarantees, and other areas.
Zelensky also emphasized that disagreements remain on certain positions, particularly concerning territorial issues. As outlined in the draft peace plan, the size of the Ukrainian armed forces would be set at 800,000 personnel, he noted.
Russia, Ukraine remain divided on path to peace amid diplomatic moves
