Russia bolstering its military while seeking diplomatic solution to Ukraine war: Kremlin

Moscow is bolstering its military while also seeking to end the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, the Kremlin said on Wednesday, in response to US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's remarks that Washington must prepare for war to ensure peace.

“We, too, prefer to strengthen our armed forces in every way possible, while remaining fully committed to peace and remaining open to resolving all issues, including the Ukrainian crisis, through diplomatic negotiations and political contacts,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in a press briefing in response to a corresponding question.

Peskov argued the phrase "if you want peace, prepare for war" is not new, expressing that it is “embedded in history” and used by many politicians.

He highlighted a “pause” in peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, while also reaffirming Moscow's position that expert-level discussions must take place before potential high-level talks between the leaders of the two countries.

However, he also argued that high-level contact by itself cannot bring peace, as it "will not help resolve such a complex and challenging issue."

“Unfortunately, we are unable to prepare such a meeting with the Ukrainian side right now because the Kyiv regime is in no hurry to continue the negotiation process, and the Istanbul process is slow to respond to the draft documents submitted, as well as slow to respond to the proposal to create three working groups,” he added.

Russia and Ukraine held three rounds of renewed peace talks in the Turkish metropolis Istanbul—on May 16, June 2, and July 23—which have produced major prisoner swaps and draft memoranda outlining both sides’ positions for a future peace deal.

Kyiv has accused Moscow of stalling peace talks, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also declaring readiness to meet face-to-face with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

Putin has also declared readiness to meet Zelenskyy, an in-person encounter that has not taken place since 2019, but voiced that the conditions for such a meeting have not yet been created.

- 'Russian station'

Peskov also commented on the situation surrounding the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, defining Zelenskyy's remarks that Russia is damaging the facility as "foolish."

"It's foolish, to say the least, to accuse the Russian side of bombing a station it controls. This is a Russian station; it's under our control, and therefore the Russian side ensures security at this station," he said.

The Russian side is in constant contact with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and is informing the organization of the situation at the facility, he added.

During an evening address late Tuesday, Zelenskyy warned about what he described as a “critical” situation at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, saying that one of the emergency diesel generators at the plant failed.

His remarks came as both Moscow and Kyiv have been accusing each other since last week of triggering the 10th and longest power outage experienced at the plant since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war in February 2022.

The IAEA said earlier Tuesday that the facility has eight operating emergency diesel generators, with nine additional units in standby mode, and that its team at the facility informed the organization that the plant has fuel reserves for more than 10 days, with regular offsite supplies maintaining this level.

Since Sept. 1, 2022, IAEA personnel have been present at the plant, which has been under Russian control since March 2022.