Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday that Moscow had received no formal proposals regarding the ‘peace plan’ that media reports said was being prepared by the United States and Europe to reach a settlement in Ukraine.
Lavrov denies receiving formal proposals
Lavrov made the statement in response to a question from the TASS news agency about reports circulating on the plan, while speaking to journalists after attending the summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia. He said the Russian side was following reports published by The Washington Post, The New York Times and other media outlets citing sources, given the wide circulation of the information, but stressed that Russia had received no formal proposals.
Lavrov said press leaks indicated that the plan consisted of four points, the last of which called for an immediate ceasefire along the contact line. He added that the leaks he had seen contained no indication of ideas on how to move towards lasting, long-term peace, ‘rather than merely a truce that Ukraine and its European masters will violate, and we have no doubt about that’.
The Russian foreign minister also said that the Western press was ‘based on leaks as a matter of principle’, commenting on the nature of the information published about the proposal being worked on.
Details of the plan reported in the press
The Washington Post had earlier reported, citing sources, that Washington and Brussels were working on a joint peace proposal that would provide Russia and Ukraine with gains in the financial and security spheres, while also laying the foundations for settling regional disputes.
The newspaper said the draft agreement would consist of four points and include a proposal for Russia to reach understandings with Europe in the security and economic spheres, with these understandings serving as a basis for stability in the region. According to the newspaper, diplomatic efforts to draw up a new settlement plan gained momentum after a meeting in the state of Florida attended by American, European and Ukrainian negotiators.
