U.S. President Donald Trump’s 28-point peace plan was officially communicated to Moscow on Nov. 21 and it received a prompt response from Russian President Vladimir Putin. As he opened a meeting of Russia’s Security Council, the Speaker of the Federation Council Senator Valentina Matviyenko interrupted to ask, “before we consider the main issues on the agenda,” to address Trump’s plan. An English-language translation of Putin’s impromptu response was provided by the Russian Presidency:
“Yes, of course, there is no secret here. We have had almost no public discussion of it, only in the most general terms, but it is not a secret. President Trump’s peace plan to resolve the situation in Ukraine was discussed before the meeting in Alaska ... [in which they] asked us to make certain compromises, to show, as they said, flexibility. … [W]e confirmed … we are ready to show the flexibility they asked for. …
“However, we can see that there is a certain pause from the American side following the talks in Alaska, and we understand that this is connected with Ukraine’s de facto rejection of the peace plan proposed by President Trump. I believe this is precisely why a new version has emerged, essentially an updated plan consisting of 28 points.
“We have received this text through the existing communication channels with the US administration. I believe it could also serve as a foundation for a final peace settlement. However, it is not being discussed in detail with us. And I can guess why.
“The reason, in my opinion, is the same: the US administration has so far been unable to secure consent from the Ukrainian side, as Ukraine is opposed to it. Apparently, Ukraine and its European allies continue to entertain the illusion that they can inflict a strategic defeat on Russia on the battlefield.”
There’s no secret to the 28-point plan, Putin said, because it is not new. He called it an “update” of what Washington had proposed even before the August summit in Alaska, due to the total stonewalling by Kiev and European countries. And Washington still has some work to do to get Europe and Ukraine in line, at which point, there would be something to re-engage with. Until then, he added, Russia will work to “achieve the goals of the Special Military Operation by military means, through armed combat.”
Putin made clear that there’s no secret, because the 28-point plan is not new to them, being Washington’s elaborated version of what was outlined, in principle, at the August summit in Alaska. And Washington has some work to do to get Europe and Ukraine in line, at which point, there would be something to re-engage with. Until then, Russia’s stated military objectives are within their reach, he added.
It is worth citing 7 portions of the 28-point plan that directly reflect Russia’s so-called “Ukraine” problem—which is the last 30-years of NATO’s eastward expansion toward Russia’s border and the escalated risk of thermonuclear confrontation. They are from the draft published on Nov. 21 by Axios, which affirmed that the draft was “verified by a Ukrainian official, a U.S. official and a source familiar with the proposal” as being an actual version of the Trump 28-points:
