Russia is open to peace with Ukraine, but achieving its goals remains a priority, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Sunday, days after U.S. President\u00a0Donald Trump gave Moscow a 50-day deadline\u00a0to agree to a ceasefire or\u00a0face tougher sanctions.<\/p>\n
Peskov and other Russian officials have repeatedly rejected accusations from Kyiv and its Western partners of stalling peace talks. Meanwhile, Moscow continues to intensify\u00a0its long-range attacks\u00a0on Ukrainian cities, launching more drones in a single night than it did during some entire months in 2024, and analysts say the barrages are likely to escalate.<\/p>\n
READ MORE:<\/strong> EU and UK hit Russia with new sanctions. Moscow\u2019s energy revenue and spies are targeted<\/a><\/p>\n Russian President\u00a0Vladimir Putin\u00a0\u201chas repeatedly spoken of his desire to bring the Ukrainian settlement to a peaceful conclusion as soon as possible. This is a long process, it requires effort, and it is not easy,\u201d Peskov told state television in an interview.<\/p>\n \u201cThe main thing for us is to achieve our goals,\u201d he said. \u201cOur goals are clear.\u201d<\/p>\n The Kremlin has insisted that any peace deal should see Ukraine withdraw from the four regions that Russia illegally annexed in September 2022, but never fully captured. It also wants Ukraine to renounce its bid to join NATO and accept strict limits on its armed forces \u2014 demands Kyiv and its Western allies have rejected.<\/p>\n In his nightly address on Saturday, Ukrainian President\u00a0Volodymyr Zelenskyy\u00a0said that his officials have proposed a new round of peace talks this week. Russian state media on Sunday reported that no date has yet been set for the negotiations, but said that Istanbul would likely remain the host city.<\/p>\n Truce or sanctions<\/p>\n Trump threatened Russia on July 14 with steep tariffs and announced a rejuvenated pipeline for American weapons to reach Ukraine, hardening his stance toward Moscow after months of frustration following unsuccessful negotiations aimed at\u00a0ending the war. The direct Russia-Ukraine negotiations in Istanbul resulted in several rounds of prisoner exchanges but little else.<\/p>\n The\u00a0U.S. president\u00a0said that he would implement \u201csevere tariffs\u201d unless a peace deal is reached within 50 days. He provided few details on how they would be implemented, but suggested they would target Russia\u2019s trading partners in an effort to isolate Moscow in the global economy.<\/p>\n