Russia not to accept Zelenskiy’s ‘peace formula’: Lavrov

Russia will not use Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s ‘peace formula’ as a basis for negotiations and believes Kyiv is still not ready for real peace talks, Russia’s RIA news agency cited Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as saying on Thursday.

Lavrov also told RIA that Kyiv’s idea of driving Russia out of eastern Ukraine and Crimea with Western help was “an illusion.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had announced that he is vigorously pushing a 10-point peace plan that envisages Russia fully respecting Ukraine’s territorial integrity and pulling out all its troops.

But the Kremlin on Wednesday rejected the plan, reiterating its stance that Kyiv must accept Russia’s annexation – announced in September after “referendums” rejected by Ukraine and most other nations – of four Ukrainian regions: Luhansk and Donetsk in the east, and Kherson and Zaporizhzhia in the south.

“There can be no peace plan for Ukraine that does not take into account today’s realities regarding Russian territory, with the entry of four regions into Russia,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

“Plans that do not take these realities into account cannot be peaceful.”

Zelenskyy told parliament to remain united in the face of Russia’s attack and praised Ukrainians for helping the West “find itself again”.

“Our national colors are today an international symbol of courage and indomitability of the whole world,” he said in the 45-minute behind-closed-doors speech.

Russian forces abandoned Kherson city last month in one of Ukraine’s most significant gains of the war. Kherson region, located at the mouth of the mighty Dnipro River and serving as gateway to Russian-annexed Crimea, is strategically important.

MNA