Russia expects trilateral talks with Ukraine and the US to resume, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday, even as Russian forces launched a massive overnight missile and drone attack on Kyiv that killed three people and injured more than a dozen.
Peskov made the remarks during a briefing for Indian media ahead of the BRICS summit in New Delhi.
“Russia expects the resumption of trilateral talks between Russia, the United States, and Ukraine. Russia is open to a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Ukraine,” he said, as quoted by Russian state news agency TASS.
Peskov also claimed that Kyiv does not want the war to end, saying that “if it did, the war would have ended long ago.”
He added that Russia welcomes efforts toward a peaceful settlement, including those by the US and India.
Peskov also described India as Russia’s strategic partner and said Moscow expects to deepen relations with New Delhi across a range of areas.
He said Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi would discuss trade in a way “that will not be hindered by unfriendly countries.”
Russia is also prepared to continue supplying arms to India, Peskov said, adding that the potential sale of Su-57 fighter jets remains on the agenda.
“Indian citizens participating in the SVO [as Russia refers to the full-scale war against Ukraine] will be returned to India as soon as their identities are established and a corresponding list is compiled,” Peskov added.
Kyiv hit as Moscow talks peace
Peskov’s comments came against the backdrop of Russia’s massive overnight attack on Kyiv, which caused fires and damage across several districts and killed three people.
In the Holosiivskyi district, debris hit warehouses, a private school, and residential buildings, while an unfinished 26-story building was damaged. Darnytskyi and Podilskyi districts also reported damaged warehouses and fires, while debris hit residential and non-residential buildings in Solomianskyi.
The attack continued into the morning. At 8 a.m., authorities reported a warehouse fire in Shevchenkivskyi and damage to a building in Podilskyi. At 11:30 a.m., medics were called to Shevchenkivskyi and Solomianskyi, where falling drone debris caused a fire and damaged a four-story office building.
Further strikes followed. At 12:46 p.m., authorities reported a second strike on warehouses in Shevchenkivskyi. At 1:18 p.m., debris hit a warehouse in the Holosiivskyi district, setting its roof on fire.
At 12:51 p.m., President Volodymyr Zelensky said a Russian strike drone had hit the We Are Ukraine TV channel building while journalists were broadcasting live.
“Russia struck at the media, at journalists,” Zelensky said in a Telegram post. “A strike drone attacked the building of the TV channel ‘We Are Ukraine’ during the telethon ‘United News.’”
The building is partially destroyed, he added, saying that emergency services had extinguished the fire.
“As of now, five victims are known. Unfortunately, the number may still increase,” Zelensky said.
The president condemned the strike and called for an international response.
“Shaheds against the media is a new page of Russian degradation, and there must definitely be a reaction from Europe and the world to this,” Zelensky said.