Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has acknowledged that Ukraine’s recent comments about being open to negotiations with Russia align with Moscow’s general stance. However, he emphasized the need for more specific details.
In a Moscow press briefing, Peskov mentioned that reports from Beijing indicated Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba expressed this readiness during a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Peskov reiterated that Russia has always been open to negotiations but stressed the importance of understanding the finer points of Ukraine’s position.
Earlier, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry reported that Kuleba declared Kyiv’s willingness for dialogue with Russia during his visit to China.
In a separate development, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova expressed doubts about Ukraine’s peace overtures, referencing past events. She highlighted that Kyiv had initially agreed to a draft peace agreement with Russia in March 2022 during Istanbul talks but later ceased communication and enacted a law banning negotiations with Moscow.
Zakharova also noted that neither Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy nor his government or Western allies have moved to repeal the law preventing talks with Russia.
“We hear a lot of rhetoric, but we see no substantial actions,” she remarked, suggesting that Ukraine’s shift in tone might be influenced by the upcoming US presidential election.
