The Kremlin has set a condition for returning to peace talks with Ukraine
The Kremlin has stated that it has no plans to resume peace talks until Russia’s demands are met. In particular, Moscow insists on establishing full control over the Donbas. Despite statements by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio regarding Washington’s readiness to facilitate the resumption of negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, Russian officials have stated that they have no intention of returning to the dialogue at this stage.
Commenting on reports in Western media, a Kremlin spokesperson claimed that Moscow allegedly remains open to a diplomatic settlement, but only on the terms previously set forth by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Two years ago, President Putin addressed the leadership of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and outlined the main conditions for ending hostilities. All of these conditions remain in effect. They are well known to everyone around the world, including in Kyiv,” the Kremlin representative cynically stated.
In fact, these are the ultimatum-style demands that Vladimir Putin articulated during a speech at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the summer of 2024.
At that time, the Russian president stated that a prerequisite for the start of any negotiations must be the complete withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the Kyiv-controlled areas of the Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions, as well as Ukraine’s official renunciation of NATO membership.
Thus, Peskov’s statement indicates that the Kremlin has no intention of resuming the negotiation process until it has established full control over the Donbas and Moscow’s other demands have been met.
Peskov also claimed that the cessation of hostilities allegedly depends on decisions made by the Ukrainian side.
“Ukraine can make a decision that will allow for a swift end to hostilities and a transition to complex negotiations,” he said, reiterating Moscow’s position on the need to fulfill the Kremlin’s conditions.
Separately, the Russian president’s press secretary commented on a Bloomberg report claiming that, following fruitless contacts with U.S. President Donald Trump, the Kremlin had decided to rely exclusively on a military takeover of Donbas.
Peskov called such reports “speculation” and declined to comment on claims that Moscow was unwilling to discuss the issue of the occupied Ukrainian territories.
This was stated by Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov. His remarks were quoted by Russian state-run propaganda media.
