Russia demands Donetsk for peace: what will Ukraine refuse in the new plan.

According to ТСН: While the world awaits a 'Christmas miracle' and the signing of a peace agreement by December 25, Moscow has decided that the current plan requires significant changes. Russia is not completely abandoning the document so as not to spoil relations with U.S. President Donald Trump, but it also does not intend to sign it in its current form.

Bloomberg reports this, citing a source close to the Kremlin.

List of Moscow's demands

According to an insider, the Kremlin has looked at the document 'with a cool head', but considers it a 'typical Ukrainian plan'. Russia will insist on including the following points in the agreement:

1. Limiting the Armed Forces: Moscow aims to reduce the size of the Ukrainian army and define a list of permitted types of weaponry after the war (Kyiv insists on an army of 800,000 personnel).

2. NATO and the EU: Guarantees to not expand the Alliance eastward. Regarding Ukraine's participation in the EU, the Russian Federation demands the preservation of a 'neutral status'.

3. Language and Money: Securing the status of the Russian language in Ukraine, lifting sanctions, and returning frozen assets to Russia.

The main sticking point — Donetsk

The sharpest questions remain related to territories.

• Russia's Position: Moscow is ready to withdraw troops from Dnipropetrovsk, Mykolaiv, Sumy, and Kharkiv regions, but demands that Ukraine fully withdraw from the Donetsk region.

• Ukraine's Position: Kyiv categorically rejects this demand. Volodymyr Zelensky stated that retreating from a fortified area would make the country vulnerable to new attacks.

'We are in a situation where the Russians want us to leave the Donetsk region, and the Americans are trying to find a way for this not to look like a 'retreat' — after all, we are against retreating,' Zelensky noted.

The U.S. offers a compromise: to declare the disputed territories of Donetsk a 'free economic' or 'demilitarized' zone.

What Kyiv proposes

For its part, Ukraine has agreed with the States on the following points:

• Ceasefire on the day of signing the agreement under international observers' supervision.

• Presidential elections to be held 'as soon as possible' after peace is established.

• Security guarantees from the U.S. in case of violations of the truce by Russia.

• A clear timeframe for joining the EU and funding for reconstruction.

At this moment, Vladimir Putin has personally not commented on the plan, but his press secretary Dmitry Peskov confirmed that contacts with Washington would continue in the near future.

It should be noted that the U.S. has acknowledged that discussions are ongoing and has pointed to a move toward peace. Washington has stated that it knows what Ukraine wants but aims to understand what Russia is willing to give up.

The situation remains tense, as each side has its own demands and principles, which make for complicated negotiations. It is important that both sides continue to communicate, as only through negotiations can a compromise be reached that may lead to a peaceful resolution of the conflict.