MOSCOW: Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has said that Russia currently sees no grounds for negotiations to end the war with Ukraine.
In an interview with Russia’s Izvestia newspaper, Peskov said that many countries have declared their readiness to host possible peace talks, including Qatar.
Experts believe that President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House has revived speculation of a possible deal to end the Russia-Ukraine war.
Russia has so far annexed four regions during the Ukraine war namely Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and senior officials have repeatedly insisted that Kyiv and its Western allies must accept the “new territorial realities” of Russian control, including the annexation of Crimea in 2014.
Both Moscow and Kyiv have raised the prospect of renewed peace negotiations in recent weeks, though the two sides still appear far apart on key issues, especially Kyiv’s ambition to join NATO.
“Indeed, Qatar has been a very active mediator in various areas, it has been quite effective,” Dmitry Peskov added. “Besides, our bilateral relations with Qatar have been developing perfectly. We are grateful to all states, among them Qatar, for their goodwill,” he said.
As President Joe Biden nears the end of his term, both Russian and Ukrainian leaders are focused on gaining strategic leverage in military and diplomatic efforts.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has spent the last week receiving high-level allied visits in Kyiv.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, European Council President Antonio Costa, and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas all visited the Ukrainian capital, with Scholz committing $680 million in new military assistance.
The US also announced its latest tranche of military support to Ukraine worth some $750 million this week.
Meanwhile, Russian forces continue to make advancements in the east of Ukraine, while pressing their efforts to push back Ukrainian troops from Russia’s western Kursk region where Kyiv’s forces took up positions in a surprise August offensive.
Zelensky has repeatedly ruled out giving up land for peace throughout the conflict, though he said Sunday that his country needed security guarantees from NATO before any talks with Russia.
Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said that Moscow is ready for an honest discussion. “We are ready for honest talks, as President Putin said.
However, he suggested that Zelensky’s sponsors first talk him into revoking his decree banning any talks with the Putin government.
As for us, we are ready for talks if they take into account the legitimate interests of all parties,” he said as quoted by TASS news agency.
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Earlier, Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow that Russia considers Ukraine’s potential NATO membership a threat.
“Such a decision is, of course, potentially unacceptable for us, because it is a threatening event for us,” he said.
Saying that the idea of Ukraine joining NATO is in “absolute contrast” to Russia’s policy adding that the security of one country cannot be ensured at the expense of the security of another.
Peskov further said Europe is still pursuing their “destructive line” of continuing the Ukraine war, and that Moscow will continue to try and achieve its objectives as part of the ongoing conflict.
