Kremlin regrets absence of calls for peace at US-Ukraine meeting

Moscow noted the absence of calls for peace at a meeting between the US and Ukrainian presidents, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday.

Peskov said the Kremlin followed the visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the US and his meetings, including with US President Joe Biden.

"We can state with regret the fact that neither President Biden nor President Zelenskyy have spoken at least some words that could be perceived as, let's say, a potential willingness to listen to Russia's concerns,” he said. "There was not a single word warning Mr. Zelenskyy against the continuation of the barbaric shelling of residential buildings in the settlements of Donbas, and there were no calls for peace. Neither real calls for peace nor as they say, ‘on camera.’”

He said: "This means that the US continues its line to de facto and indirectly fight with Russia to the last Ukrainian."

Peskov said the US Patriot air defense system in Ukraine will be "a legitimate target" like all other types of weapons as "demilitarization is one of the goals of the special military operation."

Turning to a meeting with China, Peskov said Russian President Vladimir Putin will be briefed on discussions between Deputy Chairman of the Security Council Dmitry Medvedev with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

He said Putin's message to Xi "concerned bilateral relations, as well as the international situation and advanced relations, advanced strategic partnership between Russia and China."

Regarding the price cap on Russia's energy resources, Peskov said: "The situation is being analyzed for gas, on oil, there are certain nuances in terms of the defining terms."

Peskov rejected remarks by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan about Russian peacekeepers' activities in Nagorno Karabakh, saying the mission is doing everything possible to ensure order and stability in the region.

Earlier Thursday, Pashinyan said the Russian peacekeeping mission in Nagorno Karabakh has obligations to control the Lachin corridor, but de facto does not fulfill them.