(EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND) – A proposed “peace plan” from Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has been dismissed as entirely unworkable, with analysts warning that its conditions amount to demands that could only be enforced by the total defeat of Ukraine, something Moscow has repeatedly failed to achieve after more than three and a half years of full scale war.
John Lough of the New Eurasian Strategies Centre said the plan appears to be yet another attempt by the Kremlin to test whether United States policy might shift under US president Donald Trump, whose position on supporting Ukraine has swung back and forth. Lough described the proposal as a “trial balloon” designed to gauge whether Washington might pressure Kyiv into concessions impossible for any sovereign state to accept.
The debate comes as the United Kingdom faces what Defence Secretary John Healey has called “deeply dangerous behaviour” by the Russian state. Healey told reporters in Downing Street that a Russian intelligence gathering vessel, the Yantar, fired lasers at Royal Air Force aircraft monitoring its activity near UK waters north of Scotland. He said it marks the first recorded use of this tactic against British forces.
The Yantar, which Moscow routinely describes as an oceanographic research vessel, is widely known within NATO to be equipped for undersea surveillance, including mapping communication cables. The ship has previously been observed near critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea, the Caribbean and other strategic locations.
Healey said the UK “will not tolerate threats to essential underwater connections” and confirmed that “military options are ready”. The statement follows a parliamentary report warning that Britain lacks a sufficient defence plan to counter a large scale military threat and is “nowhere near where it needs to be” in terms of preparedness.
Russia dismissed Healey’s comments as “provocative”, denying any hostile intent. Lough, a former NATO representative to Russia, said the Kremlin appears to be escalating gradually, increasing pressure without crossing into direct confrontation. “They are testing the UK to see what our reaction will be,” he said. “They want to distract us from supporting Ukraine at a critical time.”
Lough added that previous incidents involving the Yantar prompted demonstrations of UK capability, including the surfacing of a British nuclear submarine near the ship’s activities. He suggested that such signalling may again be used to show that Russian intelligence vessels are closely monitored.
He warned that Moscow believes it is close to gaining advantage in Ukraine, following intensified strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and the emergence of a corruption scandal in Kyiv. Meanwhile, early outlines of a suspected United States drafted twenty eight point plan have caused alarm among European allies. Reported elements include Ukraine reducing its armed forces by half, surrendering the entire Donbas region, giving up its most advanced weapons and adopting Russian as an official language.
Lough said such demands could only follow “the total defeat of the country”, which Russia is unable to achieve. He reiterated that the plan resembles earlier attempts by the Kremlin to see whether Trump’s shifting positions could be influenced. He noted that the US president has made no progress in his attempts to broker a settlement, and that Putin embarrassed him during a recent meeting in Alaska by refusing to compromise.
European allies are expected to reject the proposal outright. “We have been here before,” Lough said. “Ukraine, backed by Europe, will go to Washington and say this is not going to fly. The terms must be different.”
A Times Radio listener reflected public frustration, writing: “How dare America tell Ukraine to surrender and give Russia everything it wants? This makes me really angry.”
