Russia Blames Kyiv and Europe for Halt in Ukrainian Peace Efforts
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated on Friday that the current standstill in resolving the Ukrainian conflict results from Kyiv's refusal to follow a political and diplomatic route. Speaking during a Moscow press briefing, Peskov accused the European Union of encouraging Ukraine to persist with fighting.
"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," Peskov said.
Regarding US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff's comments on the lack of trust between Russia and Ukraine, Peskov confirmed that there is indeed no trust between the two sides.
"Of course, we cannot talk about any kind of mutual trust now. This is not a deficit of trust, but its absence," he added.
Peskov refrained from commenting on US President Donald Trump's statements from Thursday, in which Trump claimed to have ended eight armed conflicts since the start of the year and expressed his desire to include the Ukrainian conflict settlement among his achievements, asserting that "great progress" had been made by Washington.
On the possibility of a meeting between Putin and Trump, Peskov mentioned that such a meeting would be desirable for both parties at some point but must be preceded by thorough preparation.
Summary
According to the Kremlin, the Ukrainian peace process is stalled due to Kyiv’s reluctance and European provocations, with mutual trust between Russia and Ukraine currently nonexistent.