Moscow considers Zelensky’s 20-point plan starting point for negotiations

Amid the absence of an official Russian response to the 20-point peace plan presented by the Ukrainian president earlier today, Bloomberg sought comment from an anonymous source close to the Kremlin.

The source said that Moscow views the plan, which emerged from discussions between Ukraine and the United States, as a starting point for further negotiations, noting that it lacks provisions important to Russia and does not answer many key questions.

The document is considered “a fairly typical Ukrainian plan,” but it will be examined “with a cool head,” the source added.

According to the source, Russia is dissatisfied with the lack of guarantees regarding NATO’s further eastward expansion and Ukraine’s neutral status if it joins the European Union. The plan also does not include the limitations on Ukraine’s postwar armed forces demanded by Russia, nor does it provide clear guarantees regarding the status of the Russian language.

Additionally, Russia seeks “clarification on the lifting of sanctions and the status of Russian state assets frozen in the West, worth hundreds of billions of dollars,” Bloomberg reports.