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Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday that he was unaware of a reported U.S. peace proposal for Ukraine that includes agreeing to a ceasefire, holding elections and signing a final peace deal.
The so-called “three-stage peace plan” was allegedly proposed by both the United States and Russia, Fox News White House correspondent Jacqui Heinrich reported during the U.S.-Russian talks in Saudi Arabia, citing unnamed foreign diplomatic sources.
According to Heinrich, Ukraine has argued that Russian President Vladimir Putin believes a pro-Moscow “puppet” candidate would win in new elections and agree to concessions favoring Russia.
She cited a Ukrainian readout reportedly shared with diplomatic sources, which also suggested that both Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump view Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s chances of re-election as “low.”
Moscow has repeatedly dismissed Zelensky’s legitimacy as president, arguing that his term in office expired when elections were postponed under martial law last spring.
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However, Heinrich later reported that a U.S. source had amended the initial claim, clarifying that the election stage had only been “floated” and might become “part of future talks, but not today.” The White House has yet to comment but is expected to address the reports soon, she added.
“I haven’t seen this information, I haven’t seen this news,” Lavrov told reporters when asked about the alleged proposal after the Russian delegation’s nearly five-hour-long talks with U.S. negotiators in Riyadh.
Lavrov said he had also inquired about earlier reports that U.S. envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg had shared “unorthodox” plans for Ukraine with European allies. Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski had previously suggested that the undisclosed plans and U.S. negotiating tactics “raise some hopes.”
“I asked [U.S. Secretary of State Marco] Rubio and [White House National Security Adviser Mike] Waltz what this means — they told me it’s fake,” Lavrov said.
On Tuesday, top Russian and U.S. officials held their first direct talks since Moscow’s February 2022 invasion, with delegates from both sides striking a positive tone while downplaying the chances of an immediate breakthrough in Ukraine peace negotiations.
Zelensky criticized the meeting in Saudia Arabia for not including any representatives from Ukraine and called for “fair” talks that involve Kyiv and European countries.
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