Russia blames Kyiv and Europe for stalled peace process
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated on Friday that the delay in resolving the Ukrainian conflict stems from Kyiv’s reluctance to pursue a political and diplomatic path. He also accused European countries of encouraging Ukraine to continue fighting instead of engaging in negotiations.
“The main thing that is currently slowing down the settlement process is the pause that has arisen due to the unwillingness of the Ukrainian side to follow the path of a political and diplomatic settlement, and due to the provocation of the Kyiv regime by the Europeans to continue further hostilities,” said Peskov.
Speaking at a press briefing in Moscow, Peskov responded to remarks by US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff about the absence of trust between Russia and Ukraine. He confirmed that such trust is indeed lacking.
“Of course, we cannot talk about any kind of mutual trust now. This is not a deficit of trust, but its absence,” he noted.
Peskov avoided commenting on statements from US President Donald Trump, who mentioned having ended eight armed conflicts this year and expressed a wish to include the Ukrainian settlement among Washington’s accomplishments, adding that the US had achieved “great progress” in this area.
Regarding a potential meeting between President Vladimir Putin and President Trump, Peskov said that such a meeting would be appropriate at some stage, but only after careful preparatory work by both sides.
Author’s summary
The Kremlin attributes the deadlock in Ukraine’s peace process to Kyiv’s resistance to diplomacy and European pressure to sustain hostilities, while acknowledging total mistrust between Moscow and Kyiv.