Russia rejects Zelenskyy’s ‘peace formula’: Lavrov | Russia-Ukraine war News

Zelenskyy has been selling a 10-point peace plan that envisages Russia restoring Ukraine’s territorial integrity.

Russia has rejected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s “peace method” as a foundation for negotiations and believes Kyiv continues to be not prepared for actual peace talks, International Minister Sergey Lavrov advised state-run RIA information company.

Lavrov additionally mentioned Kyiv’s hopes of driving Russia out of jap Ukraine and Crimea with Western assist have been “an phantasm”, the company reported on Thursday. The veteran Russian diplomat’s feedback signify the most recent proof of the gulf in positions between Moscow and Kyiv, and the way far the 2 governments are from any sensible likelihood of talks geared toward ending the conflict, now in its eleventh month.

Hours after Lavrov’s rejection of Zelenskyy’s proposal, Ukrainian officers mentioned the nation got here underneath heavy Russian missile assault, with explosions in large cities, together with capital Kyiv and Kharkiv.

Zelenskyy has been vigorously pushing a 10-point peace plan that envisages Russia respecting and restoring Ukraine’s territorial integrity and pulling out all its troops.

However Moscow has insisted Kyiv should first settle for Russia’s annexation of Luhansk and Donetsk within the east, and Kherson and Zaporizhia within the south. There could be no peace plan “that doesn’t consider immediately’s realities concerning Russian territory, with the entry of 4 areas into Russia”, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov mentioned.

On Thursday, Lavrov mentioned Russia would proceed to construct up its combating energy and technological capabilities in Ukraine. He additionally emphasised that mobilised troops had undergone “severe coaching” and whereas many have been now on the bottom, the bulk weren’t but on the entrance.

Lavrov additionally mentioned his nation’s military is working on new plans to chop off supplies of weapons and ammunition despatched from overseas for the Ukrainian forces.

The Russian international minister’s statements seem to contradict President Vladimir Putin’s current feedback suggesting a willingness to return to diplomacy. The USA and Ukraine had dubbed Putin’s statements as insincere.

Ukraine, in the meantime, has sought a peace summit led by the United Nations by February. Over the previous two months, Zelenskyy has urged the leaders of the G20 and G7 groupings to help his thought for the summit, which he mentioned would deal with his peace plan “as a complete or some particular factors specifically”.

On Monday, Zelenskyy spoke about his peace formula to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose nation will head the G20 over the subsequent yr. Whereas India’s authorities has not commented on Zelenskyy’s plan, Modi advised the Ukrainian chief that New Delhi would help any initiative geared toward ending the battle by means of diplomacy. Zelenskyy later tweeted that he was “relying on” India’s help for his plan.

I had a telephone name with @PMOIndia Narendra Modi and wished a profitable #G20 presidency. It was on this platform that I introduced the peace method and now I depend on India’s participation in its implementation. I additionally thanked for humanitarian support and help within the UN.

— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) December 26, 2022

Zelenskyy additionally mentioned the plan with US President Joe Biden throughout his go to to Washington, DC in December. On Wednesday, Zelenskyy advised his nation’s parliament to stay united and praised Ukrainians for serving to the West “discover itself once more”.

“Our nationwide colors are immediately a global image of braveness and indomitability of the entire world,” he mentioned in an annual speech held behind closed doorways.