Russia said on Sunday it was ready to make peace with Ukraine but that achieving its own goals was its priority. “President (Vladimir) Putin has repeatedly expressed his desire to bring the negotiations with Ukraine to a peaceful conclusion as soon as possible. This is a long process, it requires effort and it is not easy,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
“The main thing for us is to achieve our goals. Our goals are clear,” he said. Peskov’s statement came days after US President Donald Trump gave Moscow a 50-day deadline to agree to a ceasefire or face tough sanctions.The Kremlin has insisted that any peace deal must see Ukraine withdraw from four regions that Russia annexed in September 2022 but never fully annexed.Russia also wants Ukraine to abandon its bid to join NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) and accept limits it sets for its armed forces.
However, Ukraine and its Western allies have rejected this. Meanwhile, Russia has continued to intensify its long-range attacks on Ukrainian cities. The Russian Defense Ministry said that the Russian army carried out a large-scale attack on Ukraine’s military-industrial complexes. High-precision air, ground and sea weapons as well as drones were used in the attack and all designated targets were hit.