KYIV, February 4 — The shift is subtle but potentially seismic. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has claimed that elements of his country’s peace plan are finding backing in an unlikely place: inside Russian President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle. Speaking to Reuters on February 4, 2025, Zelenskyy stated that individuals close to Putin have expressed support for parts of the Ukrainian proposal.
He declined to name specific supporters, but the assertion alone marks a notable development in a war that began with Russia’s full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022. The Ukrainian peace plan, first outlined in November 2022, consists of 10 points.
Key demands include a full withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukrainian territory, security guarantees for Ukraine, nuclear safety, food security, and the restoration of territorial integrity. Russia has consistently rejected the plan, insisting instead on recognition of the territories it has annexed.
Diplomatic Undercurrents
Zelenskyy’s remarks come amid ongoing international efforts to push toward a negotiated settlement. A proposed summit in Saudi Arabia was planned for later in 2025, part of a broader diplomatic push that has included the January 2025 Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting at Ramstein Air Base. At that gathering, allies pledged continued military aid to Ukraine.
The Ukrainian president’s suggestion that Russian elites are discussing the plan publicly signals potential fractures in Moscow’s leadership. Independent verification of such internal conversations is impossible, but the statement itself is a strategic move — one that puts pressure on Putin’s circle by exposing the possibility of dissent.
Russia has demanded that Ukraine accept the loss of its annexed territories as a precondition for any peace deal. Ukraine has rejected that outright. The 10-point plan remains Kyiv’s baseline for negotiations.
The Broader Context
The conflict has been devastating. Tens of thousands of casualties and millions of displaced people have resulted from the invasion. Since February 2022, Ukraine has received over $100 billion in Western aid, a massive infusion of military and financial support that has allowed it to hold the line against Russian advances.
Watch this space. The trend underneath Zelenskyy’s claim is about the internal dynamics of Russian power.
If his assertion is accurate, it suggests that even within the Kremlin’s tight circle, the war’s costs and the lack of a clear path to victory are generating quiet second thoughts. The proposed Saudi summit and the ongoing Ramstein meetings will be the venues to watch for any concrete movement.
