Russia's invasion of Ukraine

Russian media on the European peace proposal: "Madness"

Agnès Ericson

Updated 16.21 | Published 16.16

 

Putin during a meeting with the military leadership last week. Photo: AP

At first, the Russians were happy with the peace plan.

But when the European counteroffer came, they wavered.

Now the Russian media is calling the proposal "madness" - and warning of Ukrainian terrorist acts.

In secret, Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff and Putin's chief negotiator Kirill Dmitriyev drew up a 28-point peace plan for Ukraine, with demands to give up occupied areas such as Donbass, halve the military and stay out of NATO.

- Unlike before, we feel that the Russian position is really being heard, a satisfied Dmitriyev told Axios.

Many critics said the plan was a Russian wish list that effectively meant a Ukrainian capitulation.

 

Putin's chief negotiator Kirill Dmitriev with Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff. Photo: Vyacheslav Prokofyev / AP 

American counter-move

After peace talks in Geneva on Sunday, Europe put a counter-proposal on the table, demanding security guarantees for Ukraine.

Marco Rubio called the plan a "living document" after both the White House and Ukraine stressed that Russia "must fully uphold Ukraine's sovereignty" in a joint statement.

- We have received signals that Trump's team is listening to us, Ukrainian President Zelensky said in a clip on Sunday evening.

Russia has not officially commented on the updated peace agreement.

- We think it is wrong to hold discussions through the media, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday morning, according to Reuters.

            

           US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that great progress has been made in the talks.                       Photo: Martial Trezzini / AP

Anger in Russian media

But criticism is pouring in from the Russian media.

“Madness is growing: Zelensky and Europe respond to Trump’s peace plan with unreasonable demands,” reads the headline of an article in the pro-regime Russian newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda.

They call the details of the new peace plan astonishing and liken them to the following situation:

“A criminal has been surrounded, thrown to the ground, they are already handcuffing him… And he shouts: “I will not give up! Accept my conditions!” And put a hundred thousand rubles in my right pocket – then we can talk”, the newspaper writes, referring to the criminal being Ukraine.

Komsomolskaya Pravda writes that the plan is no different from previous peace proposals put forward by “Zelensky and his protectors”.

“For our country, it is completely unacceptable”, the newspaper writes.

 

Commentators in Russian media are furious against the peace proposal.

Warnings of provocations

The Russian newspaper Izvestia writes that it is unclear how much the two peace plans differ and that there is a risk “that the negotiations will go off the rails”.

“There is a great risk that the Ukrainians will organize terrorist acts or provocations “under a false flag”, says the Russian ambassador Rodion Miroshnik, who works in the department for crimes against the Kiev regime, to Izvestia.

It would be a way for the Kiev government to divert attention from the corruption scandal in the country, Miroshnik believes.