Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said European states are doing all they can to escalate tensions in Ukraine and to urge Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to keep fighting. “They are doing everything possible to continue the war and in every way encourage Zelensky to do so,” he said on the Rossiya 1 television channel. Peskov added that Russian President Vladimir Putin remains open to negotiating a peaceful settlement and wants to continue working with the United States on the issue.
Putin: Russia ready to respond to any threats
Russian President Vladimir Putin assured on Monday that Moscow is ready to respond to any existing or emerging threats. “This response will not be just verbal, but through the use of military-technical measures,” Putin said during a Security Council meeting, adding that Russia can rely on “the effectiveness of its deterrent forces.” Furthermore, the Russian leader emphasized that Moscow prefers to resolve any issue through diplomacy rather than through military conflict. “Russia has always believed and continues to believe that political and diplomatic methods for maintaining international peace are preferable and prioritized based on the principles of equality, indivisibility of security, and mutual consideration of interests,” he pointed out.