No draft of Ukraine peace deal yet – Putin
No draft document on a Ukraine peace deal exists, as Washington has only outlined a list of issues to discuss, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said. However, Russia is ready to negotiate the US-proposed peace plan, he added.
The president made the remarks on Thursday during a press conference in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, which hosted a summit of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a regional bloc bringing together several post-Soviet nations.
Asked by a journalist about the US-proposed peace plan to end the Ukraine conflict, Putin said that no draft document exists, only a range of issues outlined by Washington to discuss.
“In principle, we agree that this can become the basis of future agreements, but it would be impolite of me to talk about any final drafts now, since there are none,” the president pointed out.
While the US has taken into account Russia’s position in “certain areas,” other “fundamental” issues require serious discussions,” Putin added. “We need to put everything in diplomatic language,” he stated.
A US delegation is expected to visit Moscow early next week to discuss the proposed peace plan, Putin announced. The Russian president refused to speculate on who would represent Washington at the upcoming talks, stating it was up to his US counterpart Donald Trump to decide.
The Russian side will be represented by diplomats with the country’s foreign ministry, as well as presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, who led direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul, Putin revealed. Another presidential aide and one of the key figures in the ongoing contacts between Moscow and Washington, Yury Ushakov, is set to participate in the talks as well, the president added.
