Russian invasion

Russian reactions
Russia releases its own demands for an end to the war

Russia has now released a list of demands that would “end the conflict immediately” and are much more far-reaching than the seven points in the US peace plan for Ukraine. The demands were announced by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov and reported by the state news agency RIA.

Russia is demanding that Ukraine completely withdraw from the four Ukrainian regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhia and Kherson.

Russia is not demanding Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s resignation, but it is demanding that all his decisions and documents he signs be contestable because he is an “illegitimate leader”.

Russia, which launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, also claims that it is Ukraine that has dragged Europe and the US into a “war against Russia”.

Regarding Ukraine’s desire for a full ceasefire, Peskov states that it is “inappropriate” to set a deadline for such a ceasefire.

Source: Trump envoy to meet Putin on Friday

Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff's next meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to be on Friday, a US official told Axios.

Witkoff has had three lengthy meetings with Putin so far, the most recent in St. Petersburg on April 11 lasting about four hours.

The Negotiations
Zelensky's Response: Documents from Trump's Team in 2018

Volodymyr Zelensky has published an official statement on X in a new post about the annexed Crimean Peninsula made by Donald Trump's previous administration.

The post states that the US, through then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, opposes Russia's annexation, and that this is a position that will be maintained until "the territorial integrity of Ukraine is restored."

“Ukraine will always act in accordance with its constitution and we are absolutely confident that our partners, especially the United States, will act in line with its clear decision,” writes Zelenskyj, who does not mention Trump by name.

Earlier on Wednesday, Donald Trump launched a harsh attack on Zelenskyj, saying that his unwillingness to recognize the Ukrainian peninsula as Russian is damaging the peace talks. 

Analysis: “Trump whispering” is futile and the peace plan is a blueprint for war

“Horse whisperer” became a term in the 1990s from a fluff film, but in politics “whisperer” was used ironically. Not anymore – the belief that one can have an unusual and unique ability to influence a person is something that is taken very seriously, writes Janan Ganesh for the Financial Times.

Horses have been swapped for the US president and a long line of leaders such as Emmanuel Macron, Giorgia Meloni and Keir Starmer believe themselves to be “Trump whisperers”. But no country with a “Trump whisperer” leader has ever gotten anything out of it, writes Ganesh.

The signal to voters will be a real mess. They are expected to pay higher taxes or have their welfare reduced to pay for the armaments when the US withdraws, and at the same time Trump is invited on a state visit where their leaders try to charm him, writes Ganesh.

The Telegraph’s defence editor Con Coughlin instead warns against Donald Trump’s seven-point plan for Ukraine. It is many things, but not a peace plan.

“It is a blueprint for more wars”, writes Coughlin.

According to the plan, the US is to recognise Crimea as Russian and in practice also recognise the rest of the Ukrainian territories conquered in the war.

If Russia is allowed to drive the horse and cart right through such a fundamental principle of international law, what's stopping China from conquering Taiwan?, Coughlin asks.