MOSCOW, May 3– Russia is seeking to achieve the goals of its special military operation in Ukraine via a peace agreement, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Sunday.
“For us, the preferable path is to reach our goals through a deal — a peace agreement,” Peskov told All-Russia State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company.
But if Ukraine “shows no willingness to negotiate, we will force it to do so by continuing and completing the special military operation,” Peskov said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump held a phone conversation on Wednesday.
The call, initiated by the Russian side, lasted over 90 minutes and was “frank and businesslike,” Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said.
The Kremlin said both Putin and Trump share broadly similar views of the Kiev authorities, which insist on dragging out the conflict at the behest of major European powers.
On Saturday, Russian Foreign Ministry’s Ambassador-at-Large Rodion Miroshnik said that Ukraine showed no readiness for peace and was instead intensifying strikes on civilian targets in Russia.
According to the Ukrinform news agency, during the phone conversation with Trump, Putin said that Russia was ready to declare a ceasefire on May 9, the day Russia celebrates Victory Day.
On Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he has instructed his representatives to contact Trump’s team and clarify the details of Russia’s proposal for a short-term ceasefire.
Ukraine, for its part, is proposing a long-term ceasefire, reliable and guaranteed security, and lasting peace, Zelensky noted. (Namibia Daily News/Xinhua)
