The Kremlin responded cautiously on Sunday to Ukraine’s proposal to hold peace talks in the near future. Despite increasing pressure from US President Donald Trump, Russia appears to have no interest in a quick ceasefire.
“Russia is ready to work for peace. But achieving our goals is most important to us and they have not changed,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Russian state television on Sunday.
He calls reaching a peace agreement “a lengthy and difficult process”. It is known that the demands of the Russians, who started a large-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, and those of Kyiv are very different. For example, Russia wants to occupy more Ukrainian territory and prevent Ukraine from becoming a NATO member.
Peskov’s words were a reaction to the proposal for new negotiations made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday. Kyiv had announced that it wanted to hold peace talks with Russia in the coming week.
“We must do everything we can to achieve a ceasefire,” the Ukrainian president wrote. “And the Russian camp must decide to no longer avoid it.” Zelensky also reiterated that he is ready to sit down with Russian President Vladimir Putin. “A meeting at that level is necessary to enable lasting peace.”
Trump is increasing pressure and wants a ceasefire this summer
Delegations from Russia and Ukraine already spoke to each other in Istanbul, Turkey in May and early June, but major results failed to materialize. The parties did not go beyond agreements on exchanging prisoners and bodies of fallen soldiers. There was also no meeting between Zelensky and Putin.
Although Russia seems to want to delay a ceasefire, pressure from the US is increasing. Last Monday, Trump threatened to impose severe economic sanctions if there is no ceasefire within fifty days. In addition, Ukraine will again have access to American missile defense systems and other weapons from the US, which Europe pays for.
In addition to a ceasefire, Kyiv wants to continue talking to Moscow about a new exchange of prisoners. In addition, the country wants the return of Ukrainian children kidnapped by Russia. Reportedly, more than 35,000 children have gone missing since the start of the war in Ukraine. Experts believe that they have almost all been taken to Russia.