Russia has finalized its proposals on amendments to the U.S. 27-point plan aimed at resolving the conflict in Ukraine and stands ready to present them at the next round of trilateral talks, a senior Russian diplomat said on Sunday.
Alexey Polishchuk, head of the Second Department of the Commonwealth of Independent States at Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that Russian experts have finalized their proposals based on outcomes from previous rounds of talks held in Abu Dhabi and Geneva.
However, the Russian diplomat did not disclose the specific content of these proposals, nor the timing of the next meeting.
Since the beginning of this year, delegations from Russia, Ukraine and the United States have held three rounds of negotiations, with the most recent taking place in Geneva from Feb. 17 to 18.
Russian officials have previously said that the trilateral talks were temporarily suspended due to escalating tensions in the Middle East.
Russia finalizes proposals on US 27-point peace plan, ready for next round of talks
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that a deal with Iran to end the war has not been "fully negotiated yet," lashing out at critics of the planned deal.
"Our deal is the exact opposite, but nobody has seen it, or knows what it is. It isn’t even fully negotiated yet," Trump said in a post on his Truth Social.
"So don't listen to the losers, who are critical about something they know nothing about. Unlike those before me who should have solved this problem many years ago, I don't make bad deals!" he wrote.
"If I make a deal with Iran, it will be a good and proper one," he said in the post.
Earlier on Sunday, Trump said he has told his "representatives not to rush into a deal" with Iran because "time is on our side."
"Both sides must take their time and get it right," Trump wrote on Truth Social, noting that the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports "will remain in full force and effect until an agreement is reached, certified, and signed."
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on the same day that the draft peace agreement has garnered support from several countries in the Middle East, saying the U.S. is prepared to move forward.
The White House believes it could take several days for Iran's leadership to approve the deal, according to a report from U.S. media outlet Axios on Sunday.
While U.S. officials are optimistic that a deal will be signed within days, they also acknowledge it has not been finalized and could still fall apart, said the report, citing a senior U.S. official.
It is unclear whether the potential deal will lead to a lasting peace agreement that also addresses U.S. nuclear demands.
Iran has not made any commitments regarding the details of the nuclear issue at this stage of talks with the U.S.
According to the semi-official Iranian news agency Tasnim, Iran has rejected claims in Israeli media reports said the country will receive no relief on frozen assets until it begins transferring its enriched uranium stockpiles. The Tasnim report said Iran refuses to link the release of frozen assets with the nuclear materials issues.
Iran said that part of its frozen assets must be released immediately upon any possible announcement of a mutual understanding, and must be fully accessible to Iran, the report said.
If the assets cannot be unfrozen, one of Iran's red lines will have been crossed, and there will be no mutual understanding, the report said.
Trump says deal with Iran has not been "fully negotiated yet"
Trump says deal with Iran has not been "fully negotiated yet"
