RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Temporary Ukraine ceasefire unacceptable – Moscow

Russia will not accept a “temporary ceasefire”as a solution for the Ukraine conflict, since it will only be used by the collective West to reinforce the “Kiev regime” and its military before the hostilities break out again, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said.

Moscow is seeking only a lasting solution to end the ongoing crisis for good, Zakharova said on Thursday during a regular press briefing.

“A temporary ceasefire or, as many say, freezing the conflict, is unacceptable,” she stressed. “We need reliable, legally binding agreements and mechanisms that would guarantee that the crisis will not recur.”

Putting the hostilities on hold, one way or another, will only enable the “Kiev regime” to rearm and get ready to resume the conflict at a later date, Zakharova warned. The pause in the fighting “will be used by the West—the collective West as a whole or its individual representatives - to strengthen the military potential of the Kiev regime and, of course, to attempt an armed revanche,” she warned.

Moscow maintains a reserved position on the repeated pledges by the new US administration to bring the conflict between Russia and Ukraine to its end, Zakharova signaled. Thus far, US President Donald Trump and his team made a lot of statements, yet took little to no practical steps, she said.

“Everything will depend on specific actions and on the plans of the new administration, embodied in these very actions. Right now there are a lot of words, a lot of statements. There is no clarity or precision regarding the steps being taken,” Zakharova explained.

Earlier this week, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said engagement with Washington has increased since Trump took office. There have been contacts between “certain departments”of the two countries, he said without providing any further detail.

Last Friday, Trump said that communication is ongoing between his administration and the Russian government and reiterated his goal of putting a swift end to the nearly three years-long hostilities.

Moscow has repeatedly signaled its willingness to settle the conflict through diplomacy, rather than on the battlefield, stating the potential negotiations must accept the “reality on the ground.” Russia’s readiness for “tough”negotiations with the US was reaffirmed by Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov, who said the first step should be taken by Washington.

“The first step toward normalizing bilateral relations – based on the principles of mutual respect and equality – should be taken by the United States,” Ryabkov said, adding that the plans hatched by the administration of previous US President Joe Biden to inflict a “strategic defeat” on Russia have been foiled.

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Trump's Ukraine, Russia envoy meets Ukrainian ambassador

U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, had a "thorough discussion" with Ukraine's ambassador to Washington in their first official meeting on Thursday, the ambassador said.

Ambassador Oksana Markarova, writing on Facebook, said this was her first meeting with Kellogg since his appointment, though the two had met before.

"We held a thorough discussion with the special envoy and his team and my colleagues," Markarova wrote.

Ukraine has been trying to establish close relations with the new administration under Trump, who has said he wants to bring a quick end to the nearly three-year-old war with Russia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said this week his chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, had spoken with Trump's National Security Adviser Michael Waltz and that his team had spoken to Kellogg.

Zelenskiy said working dates for the visit of a U.S. delegation to Ukraine had already been established.

Trump has said little about how he will seek to settle the war in Ukraine.

Kellogg told Reuters last week that the United States wanted Ukraine to hold elections, potentially by the end of the year, especially if Kyiv and Moscow can agree on a truce.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has questioned Zelenskiy's legitimacy as a negotiator on grounds he has remained in power beyond his mandate. Zelenskiy dismisses that notion, saying no election can be held while martial law remains in place.

A senior Russian parliamentarian, Leonid Slutsky, was quoted by Russian state news agency RIA as saying preparations for a meeting between Putin and Trump were at an "advanced stage".

Slutsky, head of the State Duma's international affairs committee, was quoted as saying the meeting could take place in February or March.

RT/Reuters