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Moscow has lauded Washington’s willingness to push for a ceasefire, but any agreement must be based on long-term solutions, Ryabkov has said
Russia has not gained clarity regarding the US peace plan for settling the Ukraine conflict since last week’s meeting between delegations of the two countries in Saudi Arabia, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov has said. However, he stressed that Moscow has noted Washington’s willingness to swiftly resolve the crisis.
The discussions between the teams led by Foreign Secretary Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Riyadh focused on potential Ukraine peace talks and the possibility of a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump. Both Moscow and Washington have praised the talks as highly productive.
In an interview with RIA Novosti published on Monday, Ryabkov stated that Russia is open to resolving the conflict based on a “balance of interests.” However, Moscow does not understand Trump’s plan.
“We have not gained any further understanding. However, we can confidently note the US side’s desire to push for a swift ceasefire,” Ryabkov said. He stressed, however, that a ceasefire without a long-term settlement would only lead to a “quick resumption of hostilities and an even more severe conflict.”
Russia wants to avoid such a scenario, the diplomat said, adding that the solution must address the root causes of the conflict, such as Kiev’s aspirations to join NATO and its policies regarding the Russian-speaking Donbass region.
Four formerly Ukrainian regions: the Donetsk People’s Republic, Lugansk People’s Republic, Kherson region, and Zaporozhye region joined Russia following a series of referendums in 2022. Crimea had previously voted to join Russia in 2014. Ukraine seeks to return them to its control, while Russia has rejected Kiev’s claims outright.
US President Donald Trump recently suggested that Kiev could get some of the territory back, adding, however, that a return to the pre-2014 borders is “unlikely.”
Ryabkov recalled a peace plan proposed by Putin last year, noting that it contained a “significant compromise element.” Moscow has “not declared anything that would exclude a mutually acceptable step forward—quite the opposite,” the diplomat argued.
In June, Putin set out conditions for peace negotiations with Kiev, which involved the complete removal of Ukrainian troops from all Russian territories, including the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, and Kherson and Zaporozhye regions. They also involved Ukraine legally committing to never joining NATO or any other Western military blocs.
Russia has repeatedly argued that the Ukraine conflict was provoked by the military bloc’s expansion towards its borders.
Trump indicated earlier this month that Washington will not support Kiev’s accession as part of a potential peace deal with Moscow, while his defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, described Ukraine’s NATO ambitions as “unrealistic.”
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