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Russia open to negotiations on Ukraine war, welcomes peace initiatives: Kremlin
Kremlin, however, pointed out Ukraine's “rejections” of Ukraine and said he has blocked the negotiation talks through a decree.
Following US President-elect Donald Trump's calls for an "immediate ceasefire" in Ukraine, Russia on Monday said it is “open to negotiations” on Kyiv and it welcomes peace initiatives.
Donald Trump's call came after his meeting with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky and French President Emmanuel Macron on November 7 in Paris at the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral.
After the meeting, the Republican leader took to his Truth Social platform and said, “There should be an immediate ceasefire, and negotiations should begin. Too many lives are being needlessly wasted, too many families destroyed.”
Russia's ministry of foreign affairs on Monday quoted Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov and posted on X, "We have carefully read the statement by US President-elect Donald Trump, made after his meeting with Macron and Zelenskyy in Paris. Russia is open to negotiations on Ukraine and welcomes peace initiatives. The conditions required to cease the hostilities were laid out by President (Vladimir) Putin."
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The statement from the Kremlin further noted that President Putin welcomed peace initiatives, especially those "coming from countries of the Global South, as well as our BRICS partners, including China, Brazil, and South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, which are engaged in work on the humanitarian track".
Peskov, however, pointed out Ukraine's "rejection" of negotiations, accusing Zelenskyy of using a decree to block negotiations with Moscow.
"Our stance is well known. The conditions required to cease the hostilities immediately were laid by out by President Putin in June this year in his speech at Russia's Foreign Ministry," the statement said.
It further said, "What bears reminding here is that it was Ukraine that rejected negotiations, and the country still rejects them. Moreover, Zelensky has, by his own decree, banned himself and his presidential office from making any engagements with the Russian leadership. This particular stance of theirs remains unchanged."
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The Kremlin spokesperson also said that all that the Ukraine president has to do to enter a path of peace is to revoke his decree, issue orders for resuming dialogue on the basis of arrangements made in Istanbul, and take into account the realities of today.
While Trump has repeatedly said that he will bring an end to the Ukraine war, the two countries involved in the conflict have not fully engaged in a dialogue for peace. What began as conflict with Crimea's annexation in 2014 turned into a full-blown war in February 2022, when Moscow invaded Ukraine.
