Ukraine's leadership appears unwilling to engage in peace talks: Kremlin

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) – Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday that peace talks with Ukraine cannot begin because its leadership appears unwilling to engage in such a process.

Peskov said at a press conference in Moscow that Kyiv and the Western countries "unequivocally exclude such a possibility."

In response to a question, the spokesman claimed that he is unaware of media reports about a secret meeting on Ukraine held on June 24 in Copenhagen, Denmark's capital, with participation from Western countries as well as Brazil, China, India, and South Africa.

Concerning the attempted mutiny by the paramilitary Wagner Group, Peskov said he has no date to share on the departure of its head Yevgeny Prigozhin and other fighters to Belarus.

He also declined to comment on the future of the Wagner Group's recruiting offices or the signing of its fighters' military service contracts with the Russian Defense Ministry.

To those who are skeptical that the deal with the Wagner Group will be implemented, the spokesman said extensive work was done to resolve the situation, and that all parties should follow through on the agreements reached.

"The president of Russia, (whether) it concerns foreign affairs, internal affairs, always keeps his word. If the word is given by him, it is fulfilled. I would like to hope that the words given from all sides are carried out implicitly," he said.

Peskov disagreed with assessments, claiming the mutiny showed a division among Russian elites, and that the emergency situation demonstrated the consolidation of various social groups and political forces around Russian President Vladimir Putin.​​​​​​​