There is currently no visible basis for claiming that Russia is ready to halt its military actions in Ukraine unless its stated demands are met — demands that are absolutely unacceptable to Ukraine. This was stated by the Secretary General of the Latvian Transatlantic Organisation (LATO), Sigita Struberga, in an interview with Latvian Television’s Rīta panorāma.
She recalled that since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, it has continuously spread rhetoric about its readiness for peace. However, given the demands it has issued, the pessimistic scenario — in which no peace can be achieved — is the most likely. As for the possibility of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin making concessions, Struberga described it as the most optimistic but also the least realistic scenario.
Asked about the prospects of US President’s Special Envoy Steve Witkoff retaining his position after reports that he had advised one of Putin’s aides on how to communicate more effectively with US President Donald Trump, Struberga said that this is unlikely to have serious consequences. “It is doubtful that pressure on Trump right now would be strong enough to cause such changes,” she said.
At the same time, she noted that hopes may lie with European diplomats, who could work with Trump’s team and persuade him to soften his stance.
The European countries currently most actively engaged in talks with Trump are the United Kingdom, Germany, and France, but
Struberga added that Italy’s prime minister and Finland’s president might also have the potential
to influence the US position. However, so far the potential outcome does not look promising, she said.
Asked how likely it is that Trump and the US might at some point withdraw from peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, Struberga reminded that Trump has not abandoned the idea that he should become a global “bringer of peace”. Therefore, despite short-term shifts in attitude, such a withdrawal would not be simple. She also noted the complex dynamics of Trump’s relationships with Putin and Europe’s leaders, as well as the enormous contribution Europe has already made to Ukraine.
As reported, Putin has announced that a US delegation will arrive in Moscow next week to discuss the so-called US peace plan for ending Russia’s war against Ukraine. “We are expecting them early next week,” Putin said.
Speaking about the plan put forward by Trump, Putin emphasised that there is still no draft peace agreement. “There was a set of issues proposed for discussion,” the Russian dictator said. He also announced that following US and Ukrainian delegation talks in Geneva, it was decided to split Trump’s 28-point peace plan into four sections.
Russia agrees overall that these points could serve as a basis for further agreements
aimed at ending the war. “Everything must be expressed in diplomatic language,” Putin said.
The initial version of the US-proposed 28-point plan was highly favourable to Russia. It required Ukraine to hand over to Russia not only the territories currently occupied, but also areas that Russia has not actually conquered. Kyiv was also asked to commit to never joining NATO and to reduce the size of its army.
Over the weekend in Geneva, during talks involving representatives of the US, Ukraine and Europe, the US plan was improved to take more account of Ukraine’s position. However, on Monday the Kremlin announced that Russia would not accept the changes demanded by Europe.
According to Putin, the Russian side in the negotiation process includes the Foreign Ministry as well as his advisers Vladimir Medinsky and Yuri Ushakov. He added that the composition of the US delegation in next week’s talks will be determined by Trump.
The US president previously announced that he would send his envoys to meet with the presidents of Russia and Ukraine to agree on a plan for the peaceful resolution of the war. According to Trump, US Special Envoy Witkoff will meet with Putin, while US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll will travel to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
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