Moscow - Saba:
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday that Russia calls on all parties to exert pressure on Ukraine to push for a new round of negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv.
Sputnik quoted Peskov as telling reporters: "We call on everyone to do this. In this case, the main efforts are the mediation efforts of the United States—President Trump and his team. Many statements have been made, many of them expressing disappointment. Of course, we hope that pressure will be exerted in parallel on the Ukrainian side (to continue negotiations)."
Peskov had previously stated that Russia remains ready for a third round of negotiations with Ukraine and has not yet received any proposals from Kyiv for a meeting.
In response to a journalist's question about the Kremlin's assessment of US President Donald Trump's decision to sell weapons to Europe for supply to Ukraine, Peskov added: "It's a commercial matter. There were supplies before. No one stopped them. The question is simply who pays for them."
Peskov indicated that the Kremlin closely monitors all statements regarding Western arms supplies to Ukraine, and that this issue is at the top of the agenda. He emphasized that there will be disagreements in Europe over who will pay for arms supplies to Ukraine.
He continued: "So far, we see the Europeans displaying an extreme militaristic tendency and announcing their intention to spend huge sums on weapons purchases with the aim of prolonging the war."
Russia and Ukraine held two rounds of direct negotiations in Istanbul. These resulted in a prisoner exchange, and Moscow handed over the bodies of the soldiers killed to the Kiev regime.
Furthermore, the two sides exchanged draft memoranda of understanding on conflict resolution. However, the date for the third round has not yet been set, despite Turkey and Russia repeatedly affirming their readiness to hold it.
| more of (International) |