Russia to Remain Open to Talks on Settlement in Ukraine - Kremlin

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia was, is and will always be open to negotiations on the settlement in Ukraine, but intends to continue its special military operation until its goals are achieved, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday.

Earlier in the day, Bloomberg reported that Russia was allegedly signaling to the United States via indirect channels that it was open to talks on the future settlement of the Ukraine conflict, including possible security arrangements for Kiev, and was testing the waters to see if Washington was interested in engaging.

"President Putin has stated numerous times that Russia was, is and will continue to be open for negotiations on Ukraine... We are determined to reach our goals. And would prefer to complete it by diplomatic means. If not, the military operation will be continued till we reach our goals," Peskov told Bloomberg when asked to comment on the report.

US officials, on the other hand, deny having received any signals from Moscow.

"We are unaware of the shifts in Russia's position described," US National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said.

Similar speculations have also reportedly been circulating in the European Union, but EU officials deny it as well.

"I heard these rumors and I don’t know what to make out of them," Swedish National Security Advisor Henrik Landerholm told Bloomberg.

Russia launched its special military operation in Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Russian and Ukrainian delegations have engaged in several rounds of peace talks since then, but the negotiations have ultimately reached an impasse. In October 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree stating that Kiev could not hold peace talks as long as Vladimir Putin was president of Russia.

In November 2022, Zelensky unveiled his 10-point peace initiative dubbed "peace formula." It included an all-for-all prisoner swap with Russia, security guarantees for Ukraine and a return to the pre-2014 borders. Moscow has continuously said it was open to peace negotiations as long as Kiev recognizes the territorial gains Russian forces have made since the launch of the special military operation.