Russian deputy FM: Kyiv not interested in peace but rather in continuing war

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's rejection of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's proposal for a large-scale prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine, along with a Christmas ceasefire, confirms Kyiv’s lack of interest in peace talks, according to Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin.

“This is further evidence—if anyone in the West still doesn’t see it—that the Kyiv regime is not interested in peace but rather in continuing the war,” Galuzin stated, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media.

He emphasized that Russia will continue its "consistent implementation of the goals of the special military operation."

Notably, on December 11, Orbán disclosed that his initiative for a Christmas ceasefire and a prisoner exchange was rejected by Kyiv. However, Ukrainian presidential advisor Dmytro Lytvyn clarified that no discussions with Hungary had taken place regarding this matter.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Orbán had discussed these topics with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a phone call on December 9. Following this, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) conveyed Moscow's proposals to the Hungarian embassy.

In June, Putin outlined Russia’s conditions for a ceasefire, including the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions, Ukraine's renunciation of NATO membership, recognition of its non-nuclear status, the lifting of sanctions on Russia, and international acknowledgment of Crimea and Sevastopol as Russian territory. In contrast, Ukraine demands the return of all lost territories and an invitation to NATO, with possible temporary limitations on guarantees for occupied regions.

By Khagan Isayev