MOSCOW, January 24. /TASS/. Statements about peace talks coming from those countries that are providing weapons to Ukraine are nothing but political manipulation and "smoke and mirrors," Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

"When statements [about peace talks] come from a nation, a regime or the officials of a country that is providing weapons to the Kiev regime, sponsoring it, it doesn’t matter how, either sending its own weapons or purchasing old Soviet-made weapons from third countries and handing them over to [Ukrainian President Vladimir] Zelensky’s regime, or funding it and training Ukrainian troops, we understand what it’s all about: it’s about involvement in continued military operations on the side of the Kiev regime. That said, all the talk about some peace initiatives is nothing but manipulative political 'smoke and mirrors,'" the diplomat told Sputnik radio.

Zakharova pointed out that it was impossible to engage in the negotiation process with those "who provide weapons to the Kiev regime, which is committed to terrorism as the main means for carrying out its wrongful actions."