The Ukrainian government is refusing to do the work necessary to resolve the conflict with Russia, spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said
Kiev shows no genuine desire to do the hard work required to negotiate peace with Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told RBC Radio on Wednesday. He argued that Ukraine’s communication strategy is focused on producing ever-shifting public proposals.
Peskov was commenting on Vladimir Zelensky’s recent remarks that he would like to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and offered Kazakhstan as a potential host.
”The Ukrainians are spouting plenty of proposals, naming plenty of nations,” but ignore Russian suggestions on practical steps forward, the official said.
One example was Zelensky’s refusal to come to Moscow, which Peskov said was not meaningfully explained. Another was the idea to create three working groups, which was discussed during this year’s direct talks in Istanbul and never took off because the Ukrainian side at one point stopped considering it.
Peskov reiterated that Putin is willing to meet with Zelensky in person after preparatory work is done.
”An unprepared meeting would be a PR-stunt doomed to failure,” he said.
In an interview with Fox News on Tuesday, Zelensky claimed that Putin’s invitation to Moscow was meant to be rejected by him. He added that Kiev and its Western backers offered other options, including Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, the “neutral” European nations of Austria and Switzerland, and “even” places like Kazakhstan.
Peskov said Moscow does not consider Austria and Switzerland neutral since they support the sanctions on Russia, explaining why Moscow believes that Ukraine is not showing goodwill on peace negotiations.
Russia “has no choice” but to ensure its national security one way or the other, Peskov stated. It offered numerous opportunities to the West to address its concerns peacefully dating back to the presidency of Barack Obama, but was rebuffed at every step, he added.
A comprehensive settlement of the Ukraine conflict must address the issues of European security and Russia’s place in the arrangement, and thus requires input from other nations, Peskov stressed.
