MOSCOW, November 2. /TASS/. The Ukrainian leadership lacks both courage and wisdom to settle the conflict with Russia, says Alexey Polischuk, Director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Second CIS Department.

"The opportunities for a political settlement depend on Kiev. Unfortunately, Ukrainian politicians have neither courage nor wisdom to do that," the diplomat told TASS.

He underscored that Russia has never rejected the option to achieve the goals of its special military operation in Ukraine via political and diplomatic means. Polischuk noted that, last spring, Moscow and Kiev held negotiations, which the Ukrainian side first requested and then rejected "under orders from Western benefactors."

"Later, Kiev legally prohibited itself from continuing the talks, rolling out a set of ultimatums for Russia called the ‘peace formula’," the diplomat explained.

"Now, they drag this ‘formula’ everywhere, trying to fraudulently increase the number of its supporters. They have not been too successful," Polischuk concluded.

Kiev is trying to promote the peace plan offered by Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, which doesn’t take into account Moscow’s position. Relevant international consultations were held in Copenhagen, Denmark, on June 24, and in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on August 5 to 6. The latest such meeting was held at the level of national security advisers in Malta from October 28 through 29. China did not attend it. Russia was not invited to either of them.

According to Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, Zelensky's so-called peace plan is yet another US tactic to incite a conflict in Europe. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Zelensky's statements on a peaceful settlement never take the real situation into account.