Kremlin Rejects German Christmas Truce Proposal, Vows to ‘Achieve Its Goals’ in Ukraine

December 18 ------ The Kremlin rejected a proposal by German Chancellor Friedrich 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,” Russian President Vladimir Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov told Interfax.

Peskov said Moscow’s position is “consistent, transparent, and well known both in the US and in Ukraine.” He added that Russia is focused on “achieving its goals” and “protecting its own interests,” which, he claimed, would guarantee lasting peace in Europe. “If the Ukrainians have, and begin to prioritize, the desire to replace reaching an agreement with immediate, unviable solutions, then we are hardly ready to participate in that,” he said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed to reporters via WhatsApp on Monday that Merz had proposed the truce during talks in Berlin, which Kyiv and Washington support. Zelensky also said that talks with the US on a peace plan are ongoing, but the sides remain divided on the toughest issue: territory.” The US reportedly backs Russia’s demand that Ukraine cede Luhansk and Donetsk, including unoccupied areas, as well as parts of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions and Crimea. Russia also declined to comment on a separate European proposal for a multinational peacekeeping force in Ukraine.

European leaders, meeting Zelensky in Berlin, had proposed a European-led “multinational force” with US support to enforce a potential peace deal and ensure Russia would not violate any agreement ending the war that began with Russia’s 2022 assault. “We have seen newspaper reports so far, but we will not respond to them. We have not seen any texts yet,” Peskov told reporters. He said Moscow, which has in the past demanded Kyiv cede territories Russia claims as its own and ruled out any foreign troop presence in Ukraine, has not changed its stance. “Our position is well known, it is consistent, it is transparent, and it is clear to the Americans. And, in general, it is clear to the Ukrainians as well,” Peskov said.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov also reiterated Moscow’s opposition to a NATO presence in Ukraine. “We definitely will not at any moment subscribe to, agree to, or even be content with, any presence of NATO troops on the Ukrainian territory,” he told ABC News.

Source: kyivpost.com