Russia rejects Trump’s proposed peace deal
In this DML Report…
Russia has rejected President Trump’s current proposal for a Ukraine peace deal, with Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov stating that Moscow cannot accept it in its present form, according to state media. The U.S. plan, discussed in recent Saudi Arabia talks, builds on a March 18 Trump-Putin call aiming for a 30-day ceasefire on energy infrastructure attacks—a step Russia briefly honored but later violated with 139 drone strikes on Ukraine overnight into April 1. Trump scolded both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for the ongoing conflict, threatening secondary tariffs of 25-50% on Russian oil exports if Moscow is deemed at fault for stalling peace, a move that could hit nations like China and India buying Russian crude.
Moscow is pushing its own demands, insisting the U.S. address what it calls the conflict’s root causes—namely Ukraine’s NATO ambitions and Western military support—while demanding Kyiv cede full control of four partially occupied regions: Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson. Putin, speaking at a March 27 submarine launch in Murmansk, claimed Russia now holds the “strategic initiative” and aims to “finish off” Ukraine, rejecting a temporary truce as a Western ploy to rearm Kyiv. Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha countered that Russia’s continued strikes on civilians, like the March 24 Sumy missile attack wounding dozens, expose Putin’s peace talk posturing as hollow, with Zelensky calling it a mockery of U.S. efforts.
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The U.S. persists in negotiations despite the impasse, with Trump asserting progress in a recent NBC interview, planning another Putin call this week after a late March deal collapsed. Russia’s latest drone barrage, reported by Ukraine’s air force on April 1, included 100 drones and 39 missiles targeting over half the country, with 87 downed but three civilians killed in Cherkasy. European leaders like Germany’s Annalena Baerbock warn Trump against falling for Putin’s delays, while Zelensky demands U.S.-enforced security guarantees—talks stalled as Russia drafts 160,000 more troops by mid-summer 2025, signaling no letup in its military push.