VLADIVOSTOK, September 11. /TASS/. Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that at the moment, the groundwork has not been laid to pave the way for resuming peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.
"As of today, there have never been and still are no preconditions for the resumption of the negotiating process," Peskov said in an interview with the RBC TV channel on the sidelines of the 2023 Eastern Economic Forum (EEF). "From the very beginning, the Russian side and [Russian President Vladimir] Putin were open to negotiations."
In March 2022, Peskov continued, the two countries were on the brink of inking a finalized document with the wording being approved by both sides following tense negotiations.
"Then suddenly, as if having received a signal from somewhere from across the ocean, the Ukrainian negotiators stood up and left the negotiating table. Today, this document remains on paper only and it has no further usefulness," the Russian presidential spokesman said adding that the Kiev authorities never showed any intention of resuming negotiations after that time.
"On the contrary, President Putin keeps reiterating our readiness to achieve our tasks by peaceful means," Peskov stressed.
"The special military operation was an extreme option to achieve our goals. We had to achieve our goals. We had to ensure our security, solve problems with security guarantees for ourselves, for future generations. We had to prevent the establishment of a nationalist regime absorbed by the North Atlantic Alliance near our borders," he said.
"If some other preconditions besides military solutions regarding our problems showed up, then negotiations would start again," Peskov noted.
According to the Russian presidential spokesman, the diplomatic process between Russia and Ukraine can resume if the Ukrainian authorities "accept the realities which emerged in March [2022], when the Kiev regime declined to settle the situation in a peaceful manner."
The Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) is taking place in Vladivostok on September 10-13. The slogan for this year’s forum is: On the Path to Partnership, Peace and Prosperity. The Roscongress Foundation is the event organizer. TASS is the EEF’s general information partner.