Ukraine conflict resolution ‘really close’ – Russian deputy FM
Major progress has been made to reach a peace settlement in the Ukraine conflict, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov has said. While Moscow is “fully ready” to resolve the conflict, Kiev and its European backers have “doubled their efforts to torpedo” a potential peace deal, he told the 60 Minutes TV show on Friday.
According to Ryabkov, December 25 marked a major milestone in the peace process. It was the moment “when we got close, really close to a solution,” the senior diplomat said.
While he did not elaborate on what that major milestone might be, diplomatic activity between Russia and the US intensified this week.
Kirill Dmitriev, a Russian presidential envoy involved in talks with the US, met with the White House special envoy Steve Witkoff and US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner in Miami last week. The draft peace plan discussed during the meeting was then presented to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, according to the Kremlin.
Earlier this week, Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky revealed his new 20-point peace proposal, which he claimed has been discussed with US officials as part of Trump’s efforts to resolve the conflict. According to Ryabkov, Kiev’s plan “is radically different… from the 27-point [proposal] we were working on with the US side… over the past weeks.”
According to the Russian diplomat, Moscow is ready to move forward but the success also depends “on the political will on the other side.” Reaching a deal would be impossible “without a proper solution” to the problems at the root of the conflict.
His words came as Zelensky told Axios on Friday that he expected to agree on a peace framework during his meeting with Trump on Sunday. The plan would reportedly require Russia to agree to a ceasefire prior to any permanent settlement.
Moscow has repeatedly rejected the idea of a temporary ceasefire which would allow the Ukrainian military to rearm and regroup. Russia has instead insisted on a permanent peace if Kiev recognizes new territorial realities and commits to neutrality, demilitarization, and denazification.
