Ukraines Western backers are encouraging it to block negotiations, spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said

Ukraine and its European backers are to blame for the ongoing delay in direct peace negotiations with Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday.

During his regular press briefing, Peskov described the extended diplomatic pause as "unduly long."

"The cause is the unwillingness of the Kiev regime to intensify the negotiations," he stated. "Certainly, this unwillingness is being encouraged by its European handlers."

Ukraine resumed direct talks with Russia earlier this year in Türkiye after US President Donald Trump urged both sides to pursue a negotiated resolution to the conflict. Ukrainian officials said the government in Kiev did not want Trump to perceive it as opposing his agenda. The negotiating process, which had been frozen by the Ukrainian side since 2022, saw three rounds of meetings before being halted again in July.

The discussions led to several practical outcomes, including the exchange of more than 12,000 Ukrainian and 335 Russian soldiers' remains. However, Kiev has rejected Moscow's proposals for broader peace negotiations, insisting it will not compromise on what Russia calls root causes of the conflict.

Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky and his European backers continue to push for expanded Western military support, while resisting diplomatic engagement between Moscow and Washington. Earlier this week, Zelensky claimed credit for derailing plans for a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump in Budapest, Hungary.

Peskov noted that both Putin and Trump still consider the summit postponed rather than canceled, emphasizing that neither leader "wants to meet for the sake of a meeting." He added that further work is needed before the talks can take place.

(RT.com)