"It's fake news," the diplomat commented on her Telegram channel. "This media outlet has no reliable sources close to the Kremlin. Only unreliable ones. And the wording about 'close to the Kremlin' is a cover for fake news," she stressed. The report was published by Russia's TASS news agency.
On 24 December, Zelensky told journalists of a 20-point plan that Ukraine had reportedly discussed during the US negotiations.
The Kremlin and the Russian Foreign Ministry have repeatedly pointed out that Moscow is not satisfied with several provisions of the Kiev plan. In particular, Russia is demanding a complete withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the Donbas, a formal renunciation of Kiev's NATO membership, and a reduction in the size of the Ukrainian army.
Russia is analyzing documents on ending the war in Ukraine brought to Moscow by U.S. special envoy Kirill Dmitriev, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday, according to Reuters.
Dmitriev also held talks last weekend in Miami with US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff and White House chief of staff Jared Kushner.
Citing an unnamed source, Bloomberg reported that Russia will demand major changes to the latest draft of the peace plan, which is expected to include greater restrictions on the Ukrainian military. According to the source, Moscow considers the 20-point plan drawn up by Ukraine and the U.S. as a starting point for further negotiations because it does not contain provisions important to Russia and does not address many issues.
Kiev and Washington have so far failed to agree on long-term territorial issues and the status of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant. Zelensky has called for talks with US President Donald Trump to resolve them. But the new proposal does not, for example, require Ukraine to give up its ambition to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).
(tass, reuters, im)