Peskov Blames Huge Russian Bombing Campaigns On Ukraine’s Negotiating Position: Speaking on Thursday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov attempted to shift blame for Russia’s recent missile and drone strike bombardment of Ukrainian cities on Kyiv. The top Kremlin official claimed that the “special military operation” would never have happened if Ukraine had been willing to negotiate.
“First they negotiate, then they refuse to negotiate, then they pass a law that prohibits any kind of negotiations, then they say they want negotiations, but public ones,” Peskov complained, referencing Kyiv’s refusal to negotiate until Russian President Vladimir Putin is removed from power.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also recently insisted that negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow, should they restart, should be entirely public given that Russia is “waging a public war.”
The Kremlin also accused Kyiv of shifting the goalposts regarding peace talks, and Peskov said that he could not imagine returning to the negotiating table with Ukraine.
Peskov made similar comments on Tuesday, issuing a statement insisting that there would be no “Minsk 3” deal to bring an end to the fighting. It followed comments from the Ukrainian president during a virtual address at the G-20 summit in Bali, Indonesia. He also ruled out a third “Minsk agreement,” a ceasefire deal between the two countries in the contested Donbas region of Ukraine.
“We will not allow Russia to wait, build up its forces, and then start a new series of terror and global destabilization. There will be no Minsk 3, which Russia will violate immediately after the agreement,” Zelenskyy told the summit, prompting Peskov to tell Russia’s state-run RIA Novosti news agency that he believes Kyiv is “absolutely” unwilling to negotiate.
Turkey Keeps pushing for Peace Talks
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, one of the loudest proponents of diplomacy between Russia and Ukraine, has continued his push for the two countries to resolve the conflict through peace negotiations. Over the weekend, Erdogan was cited by the Turkish press as remaining committed to facilitating peace dialogue between the two countries.
President Erdogan also accused the United States and other NATO Allies of purposely provoking Moscow, rather than seeking a solution to the conflict.
“The West, and especially the U.S., is attacking Russia seemingly endlessly,” Erdogan said.
TOS-1A fighting in Ukraine. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
The Turkish president stopped short of providing specific examples of how the West is provoking Moscow, though he may have been referencing the constant flow of weapons and military aid to Ukraine, as well as statements from some Western leaders – including White House officials – committing to the destruction of Russia is a global power.
Jack Buckby is 19FortyFive’s Breaking News Editor. He is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society.
