Peskov says Putin has not rejected US peace plan

Peskov: Putin did not reject US peace plan, «this is not true»

The spokesman for the Russian dictator Dmitry Peskov said that reports of Putin's alleged rejection of the US peace plan «are not true».
According to him, «the US plan has not been rejected» and negotiations are ongoing.

Peskov stressed the need for the talks to be kept confidential:

«The quieter the negotiations are, the better the results can be expected.».

What the Kremlin says

Peskov tried to present Russia's position as constructive, noting that:

• Moscow is «carefully studying» all the information provided by the US side;

• The negotiation process allegedly «did not stop»;

• «time and a calm atmosphere» are needed to evaluate proposals.

At the same time, Peskov did not specify which points of the US peace plan are objectionable and which are preliminarily acceptable to the Kremlin.

Context.

In recent days, the media have reported that the Russian side has criticised some of the US proposals and passed on its comments to Washington. The United States had previously provided Moscow with the main document and several additional materials on potential settlement mechanisms.

At the same time, Ukraine has stated that no peace plan can be discussed without Kyiv's participation and cannot include concessions on territorial issues.

What does Peskov's statement mean?

The Kremlin's reaction may be an attempt:

• reduce the voltage after reports of contact failure;

• create the impression of readiness for dialogue;

• gain time to formulate their own negotiating position;

• to influence the information background on the eve of new US contacts with Ukraine.