Ukrainian soldiers from the 117th Brigade fire a D-30 howitzer in the direction of Pokrovsk, Donetsk, Ukraine, on February 17, 2025. PHOTO: AA/ABACA / Abaca Press / Profimedia
Vladimir Putin's spokesman claimed that Russia will not participate in such a truce if Ukraine focuses on “short-term, unviable solutions”, writes Reuters.
The Kremlin said on Tuesday that Ukraine's proposed Christmas truce would depend on whether or not a peace deal was reached.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday that Kiev supports the idea of a truce, especially for attacks on energy infrastructure, during the Christmas period.
Asked about the idea, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “The question now is whether we, as President (Donald) Trump says, will come to an agreement or not.”
Peskov said Russia was unlikely to participate in such a truce if Ukraine focused on “short-term, unviable solutions” instead of a lasting solution.
“We want peace. We don't want a truce that would give Ukraine a break and prepare for the continuation of the war,” Peskov told reporters.
“We want to stop this war, achieve our goals, secure our interests and guarantee peace in Europe for the future. That's what we want,” he said.
Peskov said Moscow had not yet seen the details of proposals for NATO-style security guarantees for Ukraine, which US and European officials said Washington had offered to provide.
“Very strong” security guarantees
American negotiators gave assurances on Monday that, in the peace talks for Ukraine, the United States offered Kiev “very strong” security guarantees, at the level of NATO, but which are still – in their opinion – acceptable to Russia as well.
US President Donald Trump also said a deal on Ukraine was “never” so “close” after he had a long talk with Volodymyr Zelensky and several European leaders gathered in Berlin.
“Progress” in peace negotiations. “Closer than ever” to a deal, Trump says / US promises Ukraine “very strong” NATO-level security guarantees / Zelenskiy: “Looks pretty good”
“We are today closer than ever” to a deal to end the war with Russia, he told Trump.
The issue of security guarantees is an extremely sensitive point for Moscow, which has always categorically rejected Ukraine's accession to NATO and the Alliance's mutual defense mechanism.
“We have hope that we are on the path to peace”
The talks with Ukraine on Sunday and Monday were “really positive”, a senior American official assured on Monday, quoted by AFP.
He indicated that US special envoy Steve Witkoff, as well as Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, who has assumed an unofficial mediating role, held a total of nearly eight hours of talks over two days with President Zelenskiy.
“We are hopeful that we are on the path to peace,” the Washington official said.
According to these two American sources, the talks with the Ukrainians also contributed to a rapprochement of positions on the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant occupied by Moscow's troops in southern Ukraine, as well as on territorial issues.
Statements made by Russia and Ukraine have so far not suggested an acceptable compromise on territories, especially on the Donbas area still under Kiev's control.
Zelensky said Ukrainian and American teams are preparing to hold a new round of negotiations in the United States as early as this weekend.
Zelenskiy said negotiators are finalizing documents that will outline the next stage of negotiations.
“Today or tomorrow we will finalize the documents. Then the American team will hold consultations with the Russians. After that, the negotiators will meet with the American president, and then our teams will meet again in the United States. This could happen as early as this weekend,” Zelenskiy said.
