Russia has no plans to resume peace talks with Ukraine, Moscow says
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov (photo: Getty Images)
Russia is rejecting the possibility of ending its war against Ukraine through diplomacy, even with US mediation, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said, according to The Moscow Times.
Russia does not want negotiations
Russia does not intend to resume US-mediated negotiations to end the war with Ukraine anytime soon, Ryabkov said.
"There are currently no plans to hold contacts in this format. What happens next does not depend on us," he said.
Ryabkov also cynically blamed Ukraine for the suspension of trilateral peace talks. At the same time, the diplomat insisted that Moscow supposedly remains open to such contacts.
What the US says
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio previously said that the war between Russia and Ukraine had reached a "strategic stalemate." As a result, there are currently no visible prospects for ending it through diplomacy.
He warned that the situation risks an escalation of the conflict, which could eventually affect other countries and develop into a larger confrontation.
At the same time, Rubio noted that the US remains ready to help broker a peace agreement.
Putin on negotiations
On September 25, Russian leader Vladimir Putin said that proposals to resume negotiations with Ukraine supposedly remained on the table.
However, he cited a massive drone attack ahead of the State Duma elections as a reason why he would have to consider a response.
He also claimed that Russia was supposedly ready to return to dialogue after the vote.
His spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, stressed that the Kremlin expects a trilateral meeting involving the US to discuss a settlement in October.
However, US President Donald Trump later signed a law imposing "bone-crushing sanctions" on Russia. Afterward, Peskov said that there are no prerequisites for moving toward peace negotiations.
Putin is not considering a potential "freeze" of the war against Ukraine.
In addition, Putin is attempting to derail peace talks with the US aimed at ending the war by intensifying attacks against Ukraine and provoking it into responding.
