After a five-hour meeting between the Russian and American delegations, Moscow stated that no agreement had been reached on a plan for Ukraine’s future.
The foreign ministers of the member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) meet at the alliance’s headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, today, Wednesday (12/3), after negotiations between Russia and the United States ended without reaching an agreement to end the war in Ukraine.
In his opening remarks during the meeting, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte warned that Russia was preparing for a “long-term confrontation” and said the alliance must face “real and lasting risks.”
He said that Moscow is “working closely” with China, North Korea and Iran “to destabilize our societies and break global rules,” also accusing the Russian government of violating NATO airspace with planes and drones, carrying out acts of sabotage and using spy ships.
According to Rutte, the OPEC countries are “increasing their investments in defense, but we all have to do our part.” He also stated that Ukraine “needs our support more than ever” as winter approaches and Russian attacks continue.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that his delegation is preparing for a meeting with the United States after the meeting in Brussels.
On Tuesday (12/2), Russian President Vladimir Putin met with a US delegation headed by Donald Trump’s envoy, Steve Vitkov, for more than five hours in Moscow.
After the meeting, Kremlin advisor Yuri Ushakov said that no agreement had been reached on a plan for Ukraine.
He described the talks as “constructive” but said, “We have not yet reached a consensus formula.” “There is still a lot of work to do,” he added.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday that it was “not correct” to say that Putin had rejected US peace proposals. He said, “Yesterday was the first time that a direct exchange of opinions took place. Something was accepted, and something was considered unacceptable. This is a normal working process and a search for consensus.”
Ahead of the talks, Putin said on Tuesday that changes proposed by Kiev and Europe to the initial 28-point peace plan were unacceptable.
He added that his country “was not planning to go to war with Europe, but if Europe suddenly wants to go to war and start a war, we are ready now.”
The plan under discussion was leaked about two weeks ago. In it, the United States presented 28 points that it said would help ensure lasting peace between Russia and Ukraine.
The draft document proposed, among other things, recognition of Crimea and the Donetsk and Luhansk regions as Russian territory by the United States and other countries and a reduction in the size of the Ukrainian armed forces.
However, the proposal was considered largely pro-Russian, and has undergone several changes in recent weeks.
There are still major differences between Moscow and Kiev, especially regarding the possibility of Ukraine agreeing to give up the areas it still administers, and regarding the type of security guarantees that European countries might be willing to provide.
Moscow and Kiev’s European partners also maintain differing positions on what they consider to be the appropriate conditions for a potential peace agreement.