ST. PETERSBURG, July 29. /TASS/. The position adopted by the US administration which wants to strategically defeat Russia "on the battlefield" is blocking the possibility of peace talks on Ukraine, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in an interview with TASS on the sidelines of the Second Russia-Africa Summit.
"This is a principled stance by the US administration which not simply thinks about but made it its mission - the necessity of not simply achieving results but a strategic defeat of our country on the battlefield," she said replying to a question about the factors that block negotiations on Ukraine.
The diplomat stressed that the Ukrainian conflict is extremely profitable for the US. "Because the conflict allows them to avoid discussing their own pertinent problems. Because the conflict for them is the opportunity to resolve their issues by introducing this chaos to global geopolitical affairs," she pointed out.
"So, on the sidelines of the [Russia-Africa] Summit, as you know, words ‘peace’ and ‘peace initiative’ were heard from the Africans. I know that relevant meetings took place. We are grateful for this genuine sincere interest. Yet there are objective factors connected to the West and Kiev regime’s position which is implementing precisely the Western agenda," Zakharova concluded.