Kremlin says Zelensky needs to be forced to make peace

"He doesn't want peace. Someone should make him want peace. If the Europeans do it, all kudos to them," spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

He described Friday's angry public encounter between Trump and Zelensky as "quite an unprecedented event".

He put the blame on Zelensky, who he said "demonstrated a complete lack of diplomatic abilities. To put it mildly."

Peskov said President Vladimir Putin was aware of what happened, saying it proved Russia's view of the conflict correct.

He suggested that European allies will also have to soothe Trump, saying "someone will have to make sizable efforts in dialogue with Washington in order to somehow cancel out the unpleasant residue that undoubtedly remains in the White House after talking to Zelensky".

In this situation, "clearly the efforts of Washington alone and the readiness of Moscow will not be enough", Peskov said.

The Kremlin commented after Ukraine's European allies held crisis talks in London at the weekend and Zelensky said he would work with Europe to set terms for a possible peace deal.

The Kremlin spokesman described the situation as "complex", saying that "the collective West has begun to partially lose its collective unity" on Ukraine.

"Although possible peace plans are being initially sketched out, it is not possible yet to say that there is a coherent peace plan."

Russia is continuing its "special military operation" in Ukraine, "in order to achieve the aims that it had from the start," Peskov said.

Russia says freeze on US aid for Ukraine 'best contribution' to peace
Moscow (AFP) Mar 4, 2025 - Russia said on Tuesday the suspension of US aid to Ukraine following a public clash between their leaders, Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky, was the best contribution to ending the Russia-Ukraine war.

The pause, announced on Monday, has gone into effect immediately and impacts hundreds of millions of dollars of weaponry in the process of being sent to Ukraine, The New York Times reported.

"If the United States stops (military supplies), this would probably be the best contribution to peace," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, adding that it was a "solution which could really push the Kyiv regime to a peace process".

He added: "We will see how the situation on the ground evolves," stressing that the US had been Ukraine's main military supplier since Moscow launched its offensive in Ukraine in February 2023.