The Kremlin commented on the proposal for a Christmas truce in Ukraine, stating that Russia is not interested in a temporary cessation of hostilities. This was stated by the spokesman for the Russian dictator, Dmitry Peskov, answering journalists' questions about Moscow's possible agreement to the initiative of Kyiv and European countries, UNN reports with reference to Astra.
"We want peace. We don't want a truce to give Ukraine a respite and prepare for the continuation of the war," Peskov said, as quoted by Russian media.
According to him, if in Kyiv "the dominant desire is to replace access to an agreement with short-term unviable solutions," then Moscow "is unlikely to be ready to participate in this."
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Earlier, Peskov had already criticized the idea of a truce, calling it "brainwashing," and stated that Russia needed "guaranteed, long-term peace, understandable to everyone."
The proposal to declare a Christmas truce on the night of December 25 to Monday, December 15, was made by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Merz called on Russia to declare a truce for Christmas, noting that "the ball is in Russia's court."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy supported the initiative, noting that the United States insists on achieving peace as soon as possible, and for Ukraine, according to him, its quality is important.