Kremlin calls Trump's position on escalation mistake

The Kremlin has described as mistaken US President Donald Trump's suggestion that an escalation in fighting between Russia and Ukraine could help bring about a quicker peace settlement.

Speaking at a briefing, spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia viewed Trump's remarks not as a push for escalation but as a misunderstanding, Caliber.Az reports.

"This is an erroneous judgment," Peskov said. "An increase in tensions and actions that lead to escalation will in no way contribute to the peace process."

Commenting on Trump's remarks about the possible closure of Ukrainian airspace, Peskov noted that the proposal had not previously been discussed.

"These are new statements. There have been no such statements before. No one has previously discussed the issue of closing the skies. In any case, this would mean that the armed forces of a NATO country would be operating on Ukrainian territory. That is precisely what the special military operation is being conducted against. This must be understood. Therefore, this still needs to be considered — how thoroughly this issue has been worked out, between whom it has been discussed, and so on," he added.

Peskov further stated that Trump, who had intended to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, had not contacted Moscow following his meetings in Ankara.

"President Putin is always happy to communicate. They [the Russian and U.S. leaders] do indeed have a constructive dialogue, despite certain disagreements that may exist," the Kremlin spokesman stressed.

According to him, the United States continues to supply weapons to Kyiv, and Russia is fully aware of this reality.

"We have differences in our positions. I have already spoken about a certain duality in the U.S. position: on the one hand, they continue supplying weapons to Kyiv, but on the other hand, unlike other countries involved in this conflict, the United States still maintains its commitment and attempts to contribute in some way to the peace process. It is through the prism of that approach that we assess these statements," Peskov said.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov