Russia wants a long-term peace deal on Ukraine that addresses what it considers the root causes of the conflict, not a quick U.S.-backed ceasefire, a senior Russian diplomat told the RIA news agency.
In an interview on the third anniversary of the passage of tens of thousands of Russian troops into Ukraine on the orders of President Vladimir Putin, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Moscow was behind an agreement with Ukraine that stood the test of time.
"We can recognize with sufficient confidence the desire of the American side to move towards a quick ceasefire," Ryabkov said.
"But a ceasefire without a long-term solution is the path to a rapid resumption of fighting and a resumption of the conflict with even more serious consequences, including consequences for Russian-American relations. We do not want this. We need to find a long-term solution, which, in turn, must necessarily include an element of overcoming the root causes of what has happened in and around Ukraine," Ryabkov said.
Meanwhile, the European Union approved a new package of sanctions against Russia, as US President Donald Trump is pushing for negotiations over the future of Ukraine.
“EU foreign ministers have just approved the 16th package of sanctions against Russia,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said in a statement. “It hits everything from shadowy fleet ships to game controllers used to control drones. We now have the broadest sanctions ever, undermining Russia’s war effort,” she added.
The package, adopted on the third anniversary of Russia's full occupation of Ukraine, targets imports of aluminum, shadow fleet ships, and exports of chemicals, chromium and other materials used in precision machine tools.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he is proud of his country, of “three years of resistance” and of “three years of absolute heroism of Ukrainians.” Zelensky issued this statement on the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, on February 24, 2022. To mark the day, Zelensky called for an international security summit in Kyiv. (A2 Televizion)
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