Russia Open To Peace Talks On Ukraine Conflict, Welcomes Global Peace Moves: Will THIS End War?

In response to US President-elect Donald Trump’s call for an “immediate ceasefire” in Ukraine, Russia has announced it is open to negotiations on the ongoing war. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Monday that Moscow supports peace initiatives aimed at a resolution to the conflict.

The remarks came after President Trump had a meeting with the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on November 7, reopening the Notre Dame Cathedral. After the conversation, President Trump went ahead to address his people at his Truth Social platform urging an immediate ceasefire and negotiating process that should begin saying that this war has left many with significant loss and destruction of families. Trump’s call for peace was in line with his long-held position of ending the war in Ukraine.

Response of Kremlin

In a Monday statement, Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterated that Moscow is “open to negotiations on Ukraine” and that peace initiatives are welcome. The statement was made as quoted by Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov in a social media post on X: “Moscow is interested in discussing a peaceful outcome of the war.” On Friday, Peskov described as “interesting” remarks made by Trump after Trump had met with Macron and Zelensky in the Oval Office.

The Kremlin spokesperson emphasized that the terms of a ceasefire had been already presented by Russian President Vladimir Putin in his speech in June at the Russian Foreign Ministry. Peskov further emphasized that Putin voiced Russia’s willingness to negotiations, especially from the Global South, and also BRICS partners, such as China, Brazil, South Africa, and the UAE, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. These countries have undertaken various humanitarian efforts to try to address the situation.

Ukraine Rejected Negotiations

However, Peskov was quick to point out that Ukraine had rejected any form of negotiations with Moscow. He accused Ukrainian President Zelensky of using a decree to block talks with Russia, further escalating tensions. According to Peskov, “What bears reminding here is that it was Ukraine that rejected negotiations, and the country still rejects them.”

The Russian government has continuously maintained that Ukraine’s refusal to engage in dialogue has been a significant barrier to peace. The Kremlin spokesperson stated that Zelensky’s decree, which prohibits any communication between Ukraine’s leadership and Russia, has effectively shut the door on negotiations. Moscow has suggested that the only way to proceed with peace talks is for Ukraine to revoke this decree and resume dialogue based on earlier agreements made in Istanbul.

No Resolution Yet

Although Trump has expressed his desire for a truce and negotiation between Russia and Ukraine, nothing has been done to create peace between these two countries. The ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine started as a conflict with the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and turned into a full-scale war when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Since then, it has been on and off, as both sides refused to engage in serious talks for peace.

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