The Kyiv Post reveals Russia's 4-point peace plan and the trend of US views

In an article published on the evening of March 10, local time, The Kyiv Post newspaper said that the United States is quickly moving towards accepting the main demands of the Russian Federation to end the war in Ukraine, including supporting the Kremlin's 4-point "peace plan" and pushing a global campaign to call for the replacement of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

According to The Kyiv Post, this is information obtained from interviews with many senior Ukrainian officials and previously unpublished documents that the newspaper reviewed.

The documents show that Washington is increasingly receptive to the Kremlin's view of the origins of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

This view holds that the expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and alleged discrimination against Russian speakers in Ukraine were the main causes of the conflict.

According to multiple sources, Moscow is increasingly confident that the United States is ready to meet most of its demands, including removing Mr. Zelensky as a precondition for any peace deal.

Sources said the apparent change in the US position could be linked to direct talks between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, as well as ongoing peace talks in Saudi Arabia, as well as an improvement in Washington-Moscow relations.

According to The Kyiv Post, a US State Department spokesman declined to confirm or deny the information to the newspaper.

Russia's Four-Point Peace Plan

The improvement in bilateral relations between Washington and Moscow has prompted the Kremlin to lay out a set of non-negotiable demands that are believed to be the basis for any peace deal. Washington has shown interest in these terms, according to sources.

Multiple sources in the Ukrainian diplomatic and intelligence community, who have direct knowledge of the Russian Federation's demands, confirmed that US officials have left open the possibility of concessions on at least four key points in Moscow's peace plan:

1. End military support from the West:Moscow has insisted on a complete halt to arms supplies, intelligence sharing and training for Ukrainian forces. It is unclear whether this applies only to the US or includes aid from Europe.

2. Recognition of territories controlled by the Russian Federation:Moscow seeks international recognition of Crimea, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Luhansk as its territories.

3. Restoration of the status of Russian culture, language and church:Moscow wants to restore the important position of Russian culture in Ukraine by refocusing on the Russian language, Russian media and the Russian Orthodox Church, steps that could reverse post-2014 policies aimed at reducing the influence of the Russian Federation in Ukraine.

4. Returning to the terms of the Istanbul Agreement:The Kremlin is pushing for a “return to the terms of the Istanbul Agreement on all issues.” The Istanbul Agreement is a series of peace proposals negotiated between Ukraine and the Russian Federation in March 2022, including provisions for Ukraine’s neutrality, security guarantees, and military restrictions in exchange for the withdrawal of Russian troops.

According to many experts, returning to Istanbul would not be in Ukraine's interests, but a senior Ukrainian government official told The Kyiv Post that: "Moscow is seeking to exploit the tensions between the US and Ukrainian administrations to promote the 'Istanbul thesis' as demands for Ukraine to stop fighting and move towards a peace agreement."

Another senior Ukrainian government official said a “significant amount of information” gathered by Ukrainian diplomats showed that the Russian Federation “is trying to exploit the differences between Ukraine and the United States to advance its vision of future peace talks.”

However, the US State Department told The Kyiv Post that the current peace talks are aimed at forcing both Ukraine and the Russian Federation to “come to the negotiating table” – not taking sides.

“The only way this war will end is for both the Russian Federation and Ukraine to come to the negotiating table, and both sides will have to make difficult decisions,” the spokesman said, stressing: “Participating in negotiations will quickly show whether both sides are serious about peace. It is in neither side’s interest to delay serious engagement in this process.”

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the newspaper, according to The Kyiv Post.

Efforts to remove President Zelensky intensify

According to a source, the Russian media is being directed to step up rhetoric questioning the legitimacy of the current Ukrainian President, in order to spread the view that Mr. Zelensk is trying to cling to power and hinder a negotiated settlement.

This ongoing campaign, directed primarily at Americans, is intended to undermine American political and public support for Ukraine.

A Kiev-based expert on Russia's disinformation campaign in Ukraine, who asked to remain anonymous due to political sensitivities, confirmed that there has been a significant increase in efforts to discredit the Ukrainian government and push the United States toward the Kremlin's view.

The ultimate goal of the Federal side appears to be to pressure Mr Zelensky to lift the ban on talks with the Russian Federation and hold elections – steps that could pave the way for a pro-Moscow government in Kiev, sources said.

Currently, according to sources with knowledge of the matter, Moscow is reaching out to Ukrainian political figures abroad, in order to prepare pro-Russian candidates for possible appearance in future elections.

The Kremlin did not immediately comment on the information published by The Kyiv Post.

Meanwhile, according to Russia's RT on February 20, after being informed of the results of the Russia-US talks in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) on February 18, President Vladimir Putin emphasized that Moscow has never closed the door to peace negotiations with Ukraine.

According to President Putin, no one is excluding Kiev from the negotiation process. Both Moscow and Washington expect Ukraine to participate in this process. He also stressed that the decision to participate in the negotiations or not largely depends on Ukraine and the European Union (EU).

“I have said this 100 times: If they are ready, they are free to enter these negotiations,” Putin said, referring to potential peace talks with Kiev and EU involvement. “We are ready to return to the negotiating table. The Russian Federation has never abandoned the negotiation process with Ukraine, never.”

Mr Putin stressed that it was Kiev that banned its officials from participating in any negotiations with Moscow. The Russian leader pointed out that Kiev withdrew from the Istanbul talks and announced it publicly.