Russian President Vladimir Putin has reportedly rejected key elements of the US-backed proposal to end the war in Ukraine, as senior Kremlin officials escalate warnings to Europe over attempts to use frozen Russian assets to support Kiev.
According to The Associated Press, Putin said there were parts of the U.S. proposal he “cannot accept,” including demands for Russia to withdraw from occupied Ukrainian territory. His comments came as diplomatic activity intensified following meetings in Geneva and Florida between Ukrainian representatives and US government envoys.
Momentum is building in the push for peace in Ukraine, but experts fear Putin will not relent
The aftermath of a Russian drone strike in Odessa that injured at least six people and damaged the city’s energy infrastructure. (East2West)
The latest development comes after Ukraine was hit by even more deadly attacks overnight, when Russian forces killed a six-year-old girl in Kherson, officials said.
The Russian Defense Ministry boasted footage showing them ruthlessly shelling Huliaipole with Grad missiles. At least six people were injured in a Russian drone strike on Odesa, which damaged the city’s energy infrastructure, East2West news agency reported. Another six people were injured in a Russian attack on Kryvy Rih, the birthplace of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. But Ukrainian drones attacked Nevinnomyssk Azot, a major supplier of explosives and rocket fuel components.
Former Russian President and Security Council Vice-President Dmitry Medvedev warned that if the European Union uses frozen Russian state assets to provide financial support to Ukraine, Moscow could view the move as a justification for war. Reuters reported this.
“If the crazy European Union tries to steal Russian assets blocked in Belgium by issuing so-called recovery loans, such actions can be classified under international law as a special kind of winston belli with all its consequences for Brussels and individual EU countries,” Medvedev said. He added that repayment “could not come through the courts, but through actual reparations paid in natural form by Russia’s defeated enemies.”
Reuters noted that EU leaders are considering ways to use some 190 billion euros, about $221.8 billion, in frozen Russian government bonds to help finance Ukraine’s budget and military needs. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said this week that Europe plans to ensure Ukraine “has the means” to defend itself, proposing aid totaling around 90 billion euros, about $105.1 billion, over the next two years.
NO PEACE DEAL WITH UKRAINE AFTER A LONG FIVE-HOUR PUTIN-WITKOFF-KUSHNER MEETING
Former Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev (R) warns the EU against war justification after Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) rejects an important part of the US Ukraine proposal. (Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images)
“We are increasing the costs of Russia’s war of aggression,” Von der Leyen said. She added that increasing pressure on Moscow should help push Putin to negotiate, even as Russia signals its unwillingness to compromise.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy publicly responded to the diplomatic momentum, writing on X that Ukraine is preparing additional meetings with US envoys. “Ukraine was heard, and Ukraine was listened to. And that matters,” Zelenskyy wrote. “A dignified peace is only possible if Ukraine’s interests are taken into account.”
He added that any peace effort must combine diplomacy with continued pressure on Moscow. “Everything depends on this combination: constructive diplomacy plus pressure on the aggressor.”
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The aftermath of a Russian drone strike in Odessa that injured at least six people and damaged the city’s energy infrastructure. (East2West)
Russia, meanwhile, has continued military operations across Ukraine, the Associated Press reports, as both sides prepare for additional negotiations in the United States.
Putin’s rejection of the plan and Medvedev’s warnings to Europe highlight mounting diplomatic and military pressure just as international efforts intensify to find a way out of the nearly three-year war.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
