The Kremlin rejects the European proposals to amend the US sponsored 28-point peace plan (28PPP) that was floated last week in an attempt to bring the war in Ukraine to an end, according to Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s top foreign policy advisor, Vedomosti reported on November 24.

Russia considers only one version of a proposed peace plan for Ukraine to be potentially viable and has dismissed the European proposed amendments made at a meeting in Geneva at the weekend as “completely unconstructive”, Ushakov said during a briefing with reporters.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other top US officials met with EU leaders and head of Ukraine’s presidential office, Andriy Yermak at a summit in Geneva to discuss the details.

Amongst the changes to the original list of the so-called Witkoff-Dmitriev plan, named after its reported authors, US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and the head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, Kirill Dmitriev, included:

• to increase the “cap” on Ukrainians army to 800,000 men from 600,000;
• to freeze the conflict along the current line of contact with an understanding that Ukraine would not attempt to reclaim the occupied regions by military means and discussions territory would only proceed after a ceasefire had been called; and
• leave Russia’s frozen $300bn of reserves untouched, instead of using them for two investment funds, as the original text proposed.

The Kremlin acknowledged it had received a copy of the original list on November 21, but has made few other comments on the deal since then. Once Ukraine and its European partners have come up with all their amendments, the deal will be presented to the Kremlin for further talks.

At a press conference on November 23, Rubio was excited and said that “more progress has been made than any time in the ten months of talks.” He went on to say there were at least two versions now, one with 28 points and a second with 26. According to reports, the clauses dealing with Nato membership have been removed in the shorter version, in acknowledgement of the difficulties expected to find agreement on that point.

Ushakov said the original plan was presented in line with understandings reached at an earlier Russian-American Alaska summit on August 15. “We were presented with one version, one that is consistent with the understandings reached in Alaska. Therefore, many—not all, but many—of the provisions of this plan seem entirely acceptable to us,” Ushakov said.

He noted, however, of the points among the total of 28, “require detailed discussion and consideration between the parties.”

Ushakov added that no talks between the Kremlin and the Western allies had begun. “So far, no one has discussed it with us,” he said, adding that it would be “natural to assume the Americans would approach us to meet in person and begin discussions.”

He confirmed that signals proposing a meeting had been received but that “no definitive agreement has yet been reached” on who might travel to Moscow or when.

The European version of the plan was widely reported on November 23 and has now been dismissed by the Kremlin.

“This morning we learned about a European plan that, at first glance, doesn't seem to be constructively suitable for us,” Ushakov said.

“A lot of things have been said. Plus, there has been a lot of speculation. And it's unclear whom to believe. But we believe what we saw, what was conveyed to us through the appropriate channels,” he added.

President Vladimir Putin discussed the American proposal at a Security Council meeting on November 21 and raised the issue again during a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on November 24. Zelenskiy was also in Istanbul last week to discuss possible peace talks with the Turkish leader, who has offered to mediate in the dispute.

“Our president noted that these proposals, in the version—I emphasise, the version we have seen—are consistent with the discussions at the Russian-American summit in Alaska and, in principle, could form the basis for a final peace settlement,” Ushakov said, leaving the door open to the second most substantial peace negotiations since the failed Istanbul peace deal in April 2022.

According to Vedomosti, the draft seen by Moscow includes provisions that Crimea, the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics, and parts of the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions be recognised as de facto Russian-controlled territory. Areas currently held by Ukraine within these regions would be designated as a demilitarised buffer zone. A ceasefire would be observed at the current line of contact, with further negotiations on territorial exchanges.