Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov declared on Sunday that Moscow favors diplomatic means to end the war in Ukraine. However, he added, citing sources from TASS, that Kyiv and Western countries are rejecting this path.
Calls for Dialogue Rejected
“Our preferred path to resolving the conflict is through political and diplomatic means,” Peskov stated. He continued by saying, without providing concrete evidence, that Russia is continuing its “special military operation” because all attempts at dialogue have been rejected by the Ukrainian side and its Western allies.
The Kremlin’s statements follow the third peace meeting in Istanbul, which lasted just 40 minutes, significantly shorter than the previous two rounds. Despite progress on prisoner exchanges and the repatriation of fallen soldiers’ bodies, no concrete progress has been made toward a ceasefire or a direct meeting between Presidents Putin and Zelensky.
For his part, Putin has rejected every offer from Zelensky for a face-to-face meeting, leaving Europe’s largest conflict since World War II in a deep political and diplomatic stalemate.
