Zakharova: Moscow disagrees with Turkey’s assessment of Zelensky’s “peace plan”

Moscow does not support Turkey’s position regarding the “peace plan” of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. This statement was made by the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova at a briefing.

“We are well aware of Turkey’s assessment of the so-called Zelensky peace plan, we cannot agree with it, Ankara’s support for this venture of the Kyiv regime is unlikely to contribute to the search for optimal ways to achieve peace in Ukraine,” she said (quote according to TASS).

Zakharova recalled that the Russian authorities had already spoken about the unacceptability of this plan for the Russian Federation.

January 10 Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu declaredthat Ankara supports Zelensky’s 10-point “peace plan”. The diplomat noted Russia’s readiness for negotiations and recalled that the Ukrainian side had already proposed its own “peace formula”.

On November 15, 2022, Zelensky spoke via video link at the G20 summit, which was held in Bali. The Ukrainian leader named ten points of the “peace formula”, which, among other things, include the withdrawal of Russian troops, the release of all prisoners and the restoration of the country’s territorial integrity. He called on world leaders to support the “peace plan” and stressed that Ukraine would not agree to a truce and would not make territorial concessions.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov named conditions of the Ukrainian authorities “unrealistic and inadequate”. In the Kremlin declaredthat the proposal of the Ukrainian leader confirms Kyiv’s unwillingness to negotiate. On October 4, Zelensky signed a document refusing to negotiate with Russia as long as Vladimir Putin is its president.

At the end of December, The Wall Street Journal, citing sources, reported that Zelensky’s team was finalizing the details of a plan for a peaceful settlement of the conflict, which consists of ten points. According to the publication, the proposals under development may be presented in February 2023. In the Kremlin declaredthat information about the “peace plan” has not yet been received.