Kremlin spokesperson says Moscow remains open to Ukraine peace talks

Moscow says it remains open to a peaceful settlement in Ukraine but accuses Kyiv of deliberately slowing down the negotiation process, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said,.

“We remain open to this [peace settlement process], but you can see that Kyiv itself is doing everything it can to slow down this process,” Peskov told reporters, Caliber.Az reports per Russian media.

“It is very difficult to imagine how it is possible to negotiate with Kyiv right now,” he added.

Peskov also commented on upcoming NATO exercises in Finland and Norway, saying Russia is closely monitoring the drills and taking necessary steps to ensure its security.

“Naturally, NATO’s military infrastructure has been moving closer to our borders for several decades now. And, of course, this process is being closely monitored by our defense ministry, first and foremost,” he said.

He added that “Russia is taking the necessary measures to ensure its security against the backdrop of the processes you have described.”

Criticising Western leaders, Peskov also accused European governments of inconsistency over their approach to the conflict.

“I would like to point out in particular that both [French President Emmanuel] Macron and [British Prime Minister Keir] Starmer, and [German Chancellor Friedrich] Merz are all trying to talk about peace while simultaneously emphasizing their intentions to assist Kyiv in producing new types of weapons to continue the war,” he said.

According to Peskov, this approach demonstrates what Moscow views as contradictory Western policy toward the war in Ukraine.

By Sabina Mammadli