IN BRIEF: US’ stance on Ukraine, Kiev's plans to fan conflict: Foreign Ministry comment

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Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the West must stop hiding behind the talk of peace and end the conflict in Ukraine by ceasing weapons supplies to Kiev. She made the remarks at a briefing, calling arms supplies one of the obstacles to a settlement, according to TASS.

Coverage Comparison

The comments come from a series of briefings covered by TASS, which reported on Zakharova's statements about Ukraine's intentions, the West's role in the conflict, and Russia's stance on negotiations. In one briefing, she emphasized that the Kiev regime has no desire for peace, primarily because it is not independent. In another, she discussed the West's attempts to involve third countries in the conflict and the lack of change in the US position on the Ukrainian settlement.

Key Claims

Zakharova said Washington has not informed Moscow of any changes in its position on the settlement in Ukraine. "The Americans themselves have not informed us about any change in their position in bilateral contacts," she said, while adding that there was no doubt about US President Donald Trump's commitment to assist the settlement in principle.

She argued that Kiev does not seek peace. "We have no illusions about the Kiev regime's real desire for peace. It has no such desire, it never did, and the biggest reason is because the Kiev regime is not independent," she said. She suggested that when the Kiev regime is provided with money, weapons, and political support, it is directed toward further warfare by those supplying these resources.

The spokeswoman said the West has tasked Zelensky with continuing the escalation. "Zelensky is actually trying to provoke escalation. That's the task, that's the task he's been given," she said. She also noted that the Kiev regime, at the behest of the West, is desperately trying to scale up the conflict and draw Russia's closest allies into it.

Zakharova said Russia will negotiate on Ukraine with those who take a responsible approach to achieving a just and sustainable settlement, while attempts to talk to Russia in the language of blackmail, threats, and ultimatums are categorically unacceptable. She called on Kiev to stop making crackpot demands and withdraw Ukrainian forces from Donbass.

Regarding arms supplies, she said they are an obstacle to the settlement, recalling statements by former European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell that without Western supplies, the conflict would have ended within days, weeks or a month. She said that if Western OSCE participating states sincerely want to end the confrontation, they need to stop providing weapons to the Kiev regime, and that they should not hide behind the talk of peace if they want only aggression.

She also mentioned that EU countries continue to try to get the US leadership to side with the Kiev regime, including during the Group of Seven meeting in Evian.

In a related comment, Zakharova said Russia considers the deployment of American intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles in Japan as a step that has a serious negative impact on the stability and security of the Asia-Pacific region.