Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Tuesday said that Moscow has not heard any specifics about the outcome of talks in Berlin between the US and Europe in order to hammer out details of a peace plan in Europe. But Peskov did say that Europe’s involvement in the process “does not bode well” as far as Russia is concerned.
Russian newspaper Izvestia quoted Peskov as saying that before a new round of talks between Moscow and Washington can take place, the Kremlin will need an explanation of what came out of those talks in Berlin.
“First we need to see what is produced as a result of those talks the Americans are holding with the Ukrainians with the participation of the Europeans,” Peskov said, when asked when the next round negotiations should be expected.
But he also told Russian news outlets that his boss, autocrat Vladimir Putin, is unlikely to be convinced of any proposals that were shaped in Germany between US and European envoys.
“The participation of the Europeans, in terms of acceptability, does not bode well,” Peskov was quoted as saying.
Precise details of the latest plan formulated at the Berlin talks, which included US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, have not been released.
Speaking at an evening press conference in Berlin on Monday, German Chancellor FriedrichMerz praised proposed US security guarantees for Ukraine as an “important step forward” after US officials told reporters that the US has committed to providing “Article 5-like” security guarantees for Ukraine should an agreement to end active hostilities be reached.
“We now have the chance for a real peace process,” Merz said, a statement with which President Volodymyr Zelensky agreed:
“We have progress there,” he said. “I have seen the details from the military that they have been working on, and they look very good, even though it is only the first draft.”
Later that evening, however, Zelensky told the Ukrainian press corp in a WhatsApp conference, that Kyiv would not accept any deal that ceded Russian-held territory in the Donbas to Moscow as part of any peace deal “neither de jure nor de facto.”
On Tuesday, the Kremlin rejected a proposal by Merz for a Christmas truce in Ukraine, saying it would only give Kyiv a pause to prepare for continuing the war.
“We want peace. We do not want a truce just to give Ukraine a breather and prepare for continuing the war,” Peskov told Interfax.