The Donald Trump administration opposes holding a referendum as an element of a possible peace settlement and views such an initiative as a deliberate delay in the negotiation process, according to sources familiar with the consultations.
According to the interlocutors, Washington's position was conveyed during high-level contacts. The White House believes that putting key issues to a referendum does not bring the parties closer to agreements, but only postpones the adoption of decisions within the negotiating track.
At the same time, US Special Representative Steve Witkoff conveyed to Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov the Kremlin's position on the main provisions of the peace plan being discussed in the American administration. According to sources, the Russian side immediately outlined a list of points that it is not even ready to put up for discussion.
These include the deployment of a peacekeeping contingent from the European Union, the status of Donbas and Crimea, and any aspects related to further NATO expansion. The Kremlin considers these topics unacceptable for discussion within the proposed format.
The interlocutors note that these differences remain a key barrier to advancing the negotiations. The American side, for its part, views them as basic elements of long-term security in the region, while Moscow insists on their complete exclusion from the agenda.
According to sources, the situation indicates a deep difference in the parties' approaches to the future security architecture and makes the prospect of quickly reaching agreements unlikely without changing the initial positions.
