Russia says open to talks with Ukraine, but insists on its goals

MOSCOW — Russia is ready to move quickly towards a settlement on Ukraine, but the main objective is to achieve its goals, said the Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov.

President Vladimir Putin "has repeatedly spoken of his desire to bring the Ukrainian settlement to a peaceful conclusion as soon as possible," Peskov told state television in an interview on Sunday. "This is a long process, it requires effort, and it is not easy."

"Our goals are clear, they are obvious, they do not change," he added.

Russian officials have said repeatedly that any peace deal hinges on Ukraine withdrawing forces from four regions, renouncing its NATO bid and halting NATO troop deployments.

Also read: Ukraine proposes fresh talks with Russia next week

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that his officials have proposed holding a new round of peace talks with Moscow this week. "Everything should be done to achieve a ceasefire," he said in his evening address to the nation.

On July 14, US President Donald Trump, during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office, said the United States will send weapons to Ukraine through NATO, and threatened "severe tariffs" targeting Russia if a ceasefire deal is not reached in 50 days, Xinhua news agency reported.

Russia rejected Trump's 50-day ultimatum, dismissing the threat as unacceptable.

Following the announcement, US Permanent Representative to NATO Matthew Whitaker stated that President Trump's statements on supplying arms to Ukraine and the introduction of additional anti-Russian restrictions are likely to trigger a response from Russia, including Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Trump also said he would impose “very severe tariffs” on Russia.

Expressing his anger at Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, he said, “My conversations with him are very pleasant, and then the missiles go off at night.”