Kremlin denies Russia's agreement to Ukraine's non-neutral status
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Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has dismissed media reports that suggested Russia is willing to acknowledge Kiev's non-neutral status and reconsider its position on Ukraine's NATO membership.
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Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov visits the Dream Island amusement park ahead of its upcoming inauguration in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, February 27, 2020. (AP)
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov refuted, on Friday, media reports claiming that Russia is prepared to accept Kiev's non-neutral status and alter its stance on Ukraine's NATO membership.
"It is completely not true," Peskov told journalists.
This comes in response to a Bloomberg report that claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin has put forward signals to the United States through back channels that Moscow is open to discussing ending the war in Ukraine, including post-war arrangements for the neighboring country.
Putin has repeatedly declared that the war in Ukraine would not end until the "objectives of the Special Military Operation" are achieved, which could indicate that Russia is nearing fulfilling these goals amid the growing tensions in the Middle East, amid Israeli war on Gaza and its regional repercussions.
However, according to the newspaper, US officials had said that there are no clear signs that suggest that the Russian President is serious about testing paths to end the war.
Silence of condemnation: Deafening response absent in recent events
When commenting on the downing of a Russian military transport plane carrying 65 captured Ukrainian soldiers for a prisoner exchange, Peskov emphasized that there was no explicit condemnation from Western nations. He stressed the importance of a comprehensive evaluation of the situation by the global community.
"There is still no decisive condemnation from Western countries of this horrific terrorist act, the horrific destruction of the plane that was transporting our people, first of all, after all, there were our pilots and our accompanying people, that is, the Russians died, but also a lot of people died. A large number of Ukrainian prisoners of war died. We have not heard a word of condemnation ... Therefore, of course, what happened requires a proper assessment by the world community," Peskov told reporters.
When inquired about Russia's intentions to present evidence of Kiev's involvement in the incident, the official stated that decisions would be made as all information is gathered. The Kremlin spokesperson also mentioned that Moscow will thoroughly assess Germany's plans to formulate a defense strategy aimed at restraining Russia.
"We need to see what kind of plan it will be. It is no secret that Germany has embarked on a path of decisive confrontation with Russia. In this regard, there is no novelty here. But, of course, taking into account this well-known attitude of Berlin, we will need to carefully familiarize ourselves with such plans," Peskov told reporters.
Last week, Germany's Defense Minister Boris Pistorius issued a warning, suggesting that Russian President Vladimir Putin could potentially launch an attack on the NATO military alliance within the next five to eight years. Concurrently, media reports indicate that Germany is in the process of formulating a new extensive defense strategy that suggests the "containment" of Russia.
Read more: German military claim 'secret documents' for Russian eastward attack
