Russia has said it remains open to dialogue while insisting that its interests need to be respected, amid mounting pressure from the US to agree to an end to the war in Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Friday said some progress had been made regarding the complicated matter, “but a number of difficult negotiations still lie ahead.”
“Russia is striving to resolve this conflict, to protect its own interests, and is ready for dialogue,” he was quoted as saying by state news agency TASS.
It comes after US President Donald Trump said on Thursday he expects a response from Russia regarding a possible peace agreement with Ukraine this week.
Earlier on Friday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington will abandon efforts to secure a comprehensive ceasefire in Ukraine if meaningful progress is not achieved within “a matter of days.”
Peskov cited a 30-day moratorium on energy infrastructure attacks as a sign of progress on the pathway to peace, even though he claimed only Russia, but not Ukraine, had adhered to the agreement.
The Kremlin spokesman confirmed that the moratorium had expired on Thursday, adding that so far Russian President Vladimir Putin had not issued any orders to expand it.
Peskov also criticized the US over holding talks with Ukrainian and European representatives in Paris a day earlier.
“We have not heard any calls for peace from Europeans recently. On the contrary, there have been calls for the further militarization of Europe, for example Ukraine,” the Kremlin spokesman said.