Russia has turned down a proposal for a Christmas ceasefire, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stating that Moscow seeks "not a truce that would give Kyiv a respite and an opportunity to prepare for the continuation of the war, but a full-fledged peace," according to Russian news agency Interfax.
The Russian representative emphasized that Moscow's position "is well known both in the United States and in Ukraine" and stressed that Russia wants to achieve its objectives.
"The question now is whether we are moving toward what President Trump calls a deal, or not," Peskov claimed. "If the Ukrainians have and begin to be dominated by a desire to replace moving toward a deal with immediate unviable solutions, then we are hardly ready to participate in this."
The rejection comes after German Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz proposed that Russia arrange a Christmas truce. He expressed hope that Russian authorities "have remnants of humanity and can leave people alone for a few days."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had previously said ated that both Ukraine and the United States supported the idea of a truce during Christmas and New Year holidays.
"Friedrich has indeed proposed such an idea. He announced it today both publicly and during our conversations. The United States of America supports this idea. As President, I certainly support it as well," Zelenskyy told journalists, responding to a question about the German chancellor's proposal. "I believe that an energy ceasefire is also fine, and we will support any ceasefire. Overall, we support both Europe and the United States in steps aimed at ending the war."
However, Zelenskyy said that "many things, of course, depend on Russia's political will in this regard," while also emphasizing that "much also depends on our work on the documents."
