On Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that any potential peace negotiations with Ukraine would depend on Kyiv’s position and what he called the “effectiveness” of U.S. mediation efforts. He emphasized that future talks should be based on the “real situation on the ground,” referencing the current military frontlines.
Peskov also stressed that Western sanctions would not force Russia into talks, directly addressing the European Union’s newly adopted 18th sanctions package against Moscow. European leaders have described this latest package as one of the most powerful since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Ukrainian Response
Ukraine’s Presidential Office quickly dismissed Peskov’s remarks, calling them manipulative. Kyiv accused Moscow of systematically blocking genuine peace initiatives and reiterated that, at present, there is no clear foundation for meaningful dialogue with Russia, particularly after two failed negotiation rounds.
Ukrainian officials maintain that Russia has repeatedly used negotiations as a tactic to buy time while continuing its attacks, rather than as a genuine step toward ending hostilities.
Russia’s Expansive Rhetoric
Analysts from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) noted that Moscow continues to signal far-reaching territorial ambitions. Russian President Vladimir Putin recently referred to Ukrainian regions as “Donbas and Novorossiya,” while Peskov claimed that the history of Odesa is allegedly “inseparably connected” to Russia.
These statements, analysts argue, indicate that Russia’s territorial claims extend beyond Crimea and the four currently occupied regions: Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson.
Vladimir Medinsky, Putin’s chief negotiator, echoed longstanding Russian narratives, describing Russians and Ukrainians as “one people with a shared historical homeland.” He referenced “ancient Russian lands on both sides of the Dnipro River, Novorossiya, and Crimea.”
U.S. Reaction
U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, sharply criticized Peskov’s comments, calling them an “Orwellian distortion of reality.” Kellogg stated that Russia cannot continue stalling while carrying out strikes on civilian targets in Ukraine.
Kellogg further emphasized that Russia’s accusations that the U.S. and Ukraine are delaying peace negotiations are “baseless.” He underlined that President Donald Trump has been “consistent and resolute in advocating for an end to the war.”
“We call for an immediate ceasefire and a transition to trilateral talks to bring this war to an end,” Kellogg said. “Russia cannot simultaneously stall negotiations and continue attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure.”
