Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov stated that Russia will not agree to an extended ceasefire in Ukraine unless it sees “certain dynamics” on the battlefield and insisted that arms deliveries from Ukraine’s allies must stop.
He made this statement in an interview with ABC News, according to Ukrinform.
According to Peskov, continued Western arms supplies to Ukraine give it an advantage.
“Otherwise, it will be advantage for Ukraine. Ukraine will continue their total mobilization, bringing new troops to front line. Ukraine will use this period to train new military personnel and to give a rest to their existing ones. So why should we grant such an advantage to Ukraine?” Peskov said.
He again claimed that Ukraine is supposedly “not ready for immediate negotiations.” Peskov denied that it is Putin who is stalling, asserting that the Russian dictator is “doing whatever is possible to solve the problem, to achieve a settlement through peaceful and diplomatic means.”
However, in the absence of “peaceful and diplomatic means,” Moscow is allegedly forced to continue the military operation against Ukraine, Peskov added.
Andrii Kovalenko, Head of the Center for Countering Disinformation under Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, commented on Russia’s statements by emphasizing that Moscow continues to demonstrate that it does not want peace.
“Moscow’s logic: you give up your weapons, and we’ll agree to a 30-day pause — but we won’t actually stop the front, we’ll keep sourcing munitions from North Korea, and after 30 days, we’ll find a way to prolong the war anyway. I don’t know who this is meant to fool. Russia keeps showing it doesn’t want peace,” he wrote, adding that Peskov conveniently omitted that North Korea supplies the majority of ammunition for Russia’s front-line forces — supplies Moscow is unwilling to give up.
As Ukrinform previously reported, on April 28, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a “ceasefire” from May 8 to 10 to mark Victory Day, celebrated in Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky responded that a ceasefire doesn’t need to wait until May 8 — it can happen immediately. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha also noted that, despite Putin’s announcement of a “ceasefire,” Russian troops continued offensive operations along the entire front line, and Ukraine is sharing all related violations with its international partners.
Source: Kremlin not to agree to 30-day ceasefire unless arms deliveries to Ukraine stop
