Kremlin says Russia has not achieved all its goals in war against Ukraine

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has said that Russia has not yet achieved all its goals in the war against Ukraine so aggression continues, while also claiming that Russia hopes for peace talks.

Source: Kremlin-aligned Russian news agency RIA Novosti

Details: Kremlin spokesperson called the occupation of part of Ukrainian territory "ensuring security of people who lived and live in the east of Ukraine". According to Peskov, this was the main goal of the war launched by Russia. "But goals [of Russia's war against Ukraine – ed.] have not been fully achieved so 'special military operation' (the Kremlin's term for the war against Ukraine) continues," he said.

Peskov also started to say that Russia allegedly remains open to achieving its goals by "political and diplomatic means".

"Is there still hope that conflict [Russia's war against Ukraine – ed.] can be ended through talks? This hope has not left us from the very beginning… Our position is well understood and consistent. Now everything depends on the actions of the Kyiv regime," the Kremlin spokesperson said.

Prior to this, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine will not agree to territorial concessions in exchange for a ceasefire because Russian leader Vladimir Putin is not going to end the war.

Earlier, various "peace plans" appeared in Western media that envisaged freezing the war on the current line of front and creating demilitarised zones deeper into Ukraine's territory.

At the same time, Russian leader Vladimir Putin, in a video address on the occasion of a Soviet-era holiday on 23 February, said that Russia will continue a large-scale build-up of military potential and called on society for total militarisation.