Kremlin Says Not Aware Yet Of Details Of Plan For Ukraine Proposed By Italy, Welcomes Help

Moscow does not know yet the details of the plan proposed by Rome for the settlement in Ukraine, but welcomes any contribution to finding a political solution to the situation, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th May, 2022) Moscow does not know yet the details of the plan proposed by Rome for the settlement in Ukraine, but welcomes any contribution to finding a political solution to the situation, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday.

"The participation of everyone who can contribute to the settlement is welcome, no one is rejecting such sincere efforts. While we, unfortunately, do not know the details of this plan, I do not know if this was somehow brought through diplomatic channels, we learned this from media. For now, I cannot give a more specific comment," Peskov told reporters.

La Repubblica newspaper reported that Italy had proposed a four-phase plan to resolve the crisis in Ukraine. The document, drawn up by the Italian foreign ministry with the participation of the government, was handed over to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Phase 1 would be a permanent ceasefire agreement and a UN-monitored abolition of "lines of combat" between Russia and Ukraine. The second phase outlined in the plan stipulates Ukraine's accession to the European Union as a neutral country without NATO membership. Given the extraordinary circumstances, Ukraine's accession to the EU should be swift but the country would have to make certain commitments, according to Italy's plan.

The third phase suggests that Russia and Ukraine resolve their territorial disputes, specifically with regard to Crimea and the breakaway Donbas republics, in an official agreement. Phase 4 would be a new multilateral treaty on peace and security in Europe regulating arms control and prevention of conflicts. This treaty would require Russia to pull its forces back to where they were before the start of the operation in Ukraine.

Representatives of the G7 countries have already acquainted with the draft version of the Italian plan, la Repubblica said.

Russia launched its special military operation on February 24 after the breakaway Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics applied for help in fending off Ukrainian provocations. The Russian Defense Ministry said the special operation is targeting Ukrainian military infrastructure only and the civilian population is not in danger. Moscow and Kiev have made several attempts to negotiate a ceasefire; however, no agreement has been reached so far.