Negotiations are still underway among key parties over the "peace plan" recently proposed by the United States to resolve the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday reiterated Moscow's position that Ukraine must remain neutral, non-aligned, and non-nuclear -- a consensus he said was reached between Russian and U.S. leaders during their meeting in Anchorage, Alaska, in August.
Lavrov stressed that negotiations remain the best option for resolving the Ukraine issue from Russia's perspective, adding that Moscow is still waiting for the outcome of discussions among Ukraine, the EU, and the U.S.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday that Ukraine had handed the United States a revised 20-point peace plan, but significant divergences between the two sides remain.
The U.S. side proposed that Ukrainian forces withdraw from the Donetsk region, while the Ukrainian side insists that Russia and Ukraine should carry out troop withdrawals on the principle of reciprocity. Zelensky also reiterated that any territorial decisions to end the conflict must be made by the Ukrainian people, either through elections or a national referendum.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced Thursday that European leaders had submitted a proposal to U.S. President Donald Trump concerning the Russia-Ukraine peace plan.
Merz emphasized that any negotiated settlement must safeguard European security interests and must not come at the expense of the unity of the European Union and NATO.
Russia highlights neutrality, denuclearization amid Ukraine-US divergence on peace plan
