Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow maintained its position that a diplomatic settlement was its ‘preferred method’ for ending the conflict.
Russia still seeks a diplomatic resolution to its war with Ukraine, the Kremlin said on March 2.
“Russia maintains its position, repeatedly stated by [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, that a political and diplomatic settlement is the preferred method [for resolving the Ukrainian conflict],” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, according to Russian state news agency TASS.
“Russia remains open to ensuring that its interests are secured through these methods, peaceful methods.”
Kyiv and Moscow still seem to be at an impasse, despite three rounds of U.S.-mediated negotiations since the start of 2026.
The war dragged on into a fourth year last month, with no signs that the bloodshed would cease any time soon.
Peskov said that Moscow “highly values” Washington’s mediation efforts, adding that “we trust ourselves first and foremost, and it is we who defend our own interests.”
He went on to say that it is in Russia’s “interests to continue these negotiations, and we will certainly remain open to them.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, meanwhile, said on March 2 that a new round of U.S.-brokered peace talks, scheduled for the week, is still set to go ahead despite weekend strikes on Iran by the United States and Israel.
Zelenskyy said that Kyiv was considering a new location for the talks, which had been due to take place on March 5 and 6 in Abu Dhabi, and that Turkey or Switzerland were possible alternatives.
“Due to the ongoing hostilities, we cannot confirm that the meeting will take place in Abu Dhabi, but, nevertheless, no one has cancelled the meeting,” he told reporters in a briefing on WhatsApp, according to Reuters.
He also reiterated his refusal to acquiesce to Moscow’s demand that Kyiv withdraw from the parts of Donetsk Province that Russia has been unable to bring under its control during the war.
Russia seized control of the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in 2014. Since starting a new assault on Ukraine in February 2022, Russian forces have made new territorial gains.
At present, Russian forces control about 20 percent of Ukraine’s pre-2014 territory.
By Guy Birchall
