Kremlin says no conditions met for Ukraine peace talks
3 Min Read
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov underlines that Russia's demands from Ukraine not even being considered further widen the gap between the warring parties.
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Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov attends a meeting of Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, May 14, 2024 (AP)
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated on Sunday that the conditions are not yet suitable for holding peace talks regarding Ukraine.
Speaking to Russian media figure Pavel Zarubin, Peskov emphasized that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) made it clear during its latest summit that Ukraine will join the alliance.
This move, according to Peskov, shows that NATO is disregarding Russia's primary concerns, highlighting the threats it poses to Moscow.
Peskov elaborated that this situation means that the conditions are not yet ripe for negotiations, and Russia must continue to work towards achieving the goals set by President Vladimir Putin.
Simultaneously, Peskov noted that there remains potential for finding common ground between Russia and the United States. He mentioned ongoing efforts at both diplomatic and military levels, stating, "If this were impossible, the mission of diplomacy would have died long ago... Diplomats and military officials are currently doing most of the work."
"We are now in a phase of deep and delicate confrontation, and so far, we do not see any of the necessary conditions to emerge from this spiral. However, the time for that will come one day," Peskov added.
Russia prepared to hold talks
Moreover, Putin underlined last month that Moscow was prepared to initiate negotiations with Ukraine under specific conditions.
During a meeting with senior diplomats in Moscow, Putin announced Russia's latest concrete peace proposal for resolving the war in Ukraine. He emphasized that if Kiev and Western capitals reject this offer, as they have done in the past, they bear political and moral responsibility for the ongoing violence.
Putin outlined the conditions for the proposed peace plan, stating that Ukrainian forces must withdraw entirely from the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics, as well as from the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions.
He specified that the withdrawal should cover the entire territory of these regions within their original administrative borders before they became part of Ukraine. Once Kiev agrees to these terms and begins withdrawing troops while also formally renouncing NATO membership plans, Russia will immediately cease fire and commence negotiations.
Putin emphasized that Russia is prepared to enter negotiations with Ukraine as soon as possible, acknowledging the complexities involved, "We are ready to sit at the negotiation table tomorrow, fully aware of the unique legal circumstances. Despite these, there are legitimate authorities, even according to their constitution, with whom we can negotiate."
Ukraine, US planning Putin assassination
In a further indication of the ongoing impasse and the unwillingness of the United States and NATO to abandon their plans on Ukraine, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova revealed details of an assassination attempt on Putin.
Zakharova stated in a post on Telegram that the head of Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate, Kyrylo Budanov, had previously discussed the plot to assassinate President Putin, claiming it was "orchestrated with American funding."
She added, "Budanov, one of the leaders of the Kiev regime, openly admitted that Ukrainian intelligence was plotting to assassinate the Russian President. Therefore, the attempt was once again orchestrated with American funding."
Zakharova emphasized that such malicious activities by Ukrainian military intelligence and the Security Service of Ukraine, along with the Ukrainian presidency, would not have been possible without this support.
