Russia is ready to consider Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's proposal for a mutual cessation of strikes on civilian infrastructure, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. According to him, the topic is "very complex" and President Vladimir Putin is ready to discuss it, but there are no concrete plans for direct talks between Moscow and Kiev yet, "Reuters" quoted him as saying.
Zelensky made the proposal a day earlier, stressing that Ukraine is "ready for any talks" that would lead to an end to attacks on civilian targets. "We expect a clear answer from Moscow," he said.
Peskov replied that such a discussion should take into account the experience of the 30-hour Easter truce announced by Putin over the weekend, during which both sides repeatedly accused the other of violating it. Earlier this month, an agreement was reached, brokered by the United States, to avoid strikes on energy infrastructure, but that too was repeatedly violated.
"If we are talking about civilian infrastructure, it must be clearly defined in which situations it is considered a military target and in which it is not", Peskov said. He quoted Putin as saying that an object could become a legitimate target if there was a military presence on its territory. "Therefore, there are nuances that deserve discussion," the Kremlin spokesman added.
We recall that on April 13, a Russian missile strike on the Ukrainian city of Sumy killed at least 35 people. Kiev says the target was entirely civilian, while Moscow says it struck a meeting of Ukrainian military personnel.
A proposal to end attacks on civilian targets is expected to be a major topic of talks between Ukraine, the United States and leading European countries at a meeting in London on Wednesday. Zelensky stressed that the goal is to achieve an "unconditional ceasefire".
Russia has repeatedly said it is open to negotiations, but a Ukrainian presidential decree has banned direct talks with Putin since 2022. The reason is Moscow's unilateral annexation of four Ukrainian regions that Russian forces partially control.