Russia: No right conditions available 'at the moment' for peace in Ukraine

Moscow says conditions for a peaceful resolution of the war between Russia and Ukraine are not in place "at the moment," while commenting on a peace proposal by China for a political solution to end the conflict.

On Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, "We paid a lot of attention to our Chinese friends' plan. For now, we don't see any of the conditions that are needed to bring this whole story toward peace."

Last week, China issued a 12-point document for peace talks between Kiev and Moscow to end the war. Beijing, among other things, underscored all countries' territorial sovereignty on paper. Following the release of the paper, Russia's Foreign Ministry thanked China for its efforts but said any settlement of the war needed to recognize Russia's control over four Ukrainian regions.

In September 2022, Russia also annexed the four Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia after votes were held there on falling under Russian rule. Ukraine and its Western allies consider the votes to have been a "sham." Luhansk and Donetsk make up the Donbas, Ukraine's industrial heartland. Moscow considers those regions Russian territory but Russian forces have not managed to take the regions under their full control. In fact, much of the territory in the Russian-annexed regions still remain in Ukrainian hands.

Separately, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kiev needed to work with Beijing, arguing "it seems to me that there is respect for our territorial integrity, security issues" in the Chinese perspective.

The Ukrainian leader said he was convinced that only a country whose territory is under attack can initiate "any peace initiatives."

China denies US claim about arming Russia, slams Washington’s meddlesome remarks

US Secretary of State Blinken has claimed Beijing is "considering providing lethal support" to Moscow.

Fresh EU sanctions against Russia absurd: Moscow

Elsewhere in his remarks on Monday, Peskov denounced as "absurd" a move by the European Union in adopting its latest package of sanctions against Russia over the war.

"All this, of course, is absurd," Peskov told reporters about the new sanctions that target 121 Russian individuals and entities, including another three Russian banks, mocking the Western countries for their struggle in finding more people and entities to ban.

"That explains the illogical listing of individuals and entities. We are talking about such accomplished people and for them, inclusion in the lists will not cause any discomfort," he said.

The latest package of punitive measures by the European bloc against Russia is the 10th round of EU sanctions aimed at undercutting Russia's finances and military supplies for the war.

Russia launched "a special military operation" in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, over the perceived threat of the ex-Soviet republic joining NATO. Since then, the United States and Ukraine's other allies have sent Kiev tens of billions of dollars' worth of weapons, including rocket systems, drones, armored vehicles, tanks, and communication systems.

Western countries have also imposed a slew of economic sanctions on Moscow. The Kremlin has said the sanctions and the Western military assistance will only prolong the war.

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