Kremlin says 'no prospects' for resumption of Russia-Ukraine peace talks

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday that there are no prospects for the resumption of Russia-Ukraine peace talks.

Speaking at a press briefing in Moscow, Peskov said long discussions may be held about what may prompt the sides to get back to the negotiating table, but that it is not his area of expertise.

"Right now we can only state that the prospects for stepping on a diplomatic path are not visible at present," he stressed.

Peskov said if Abrams tanks are delivered to Ukraine, they "will burn as other tanks," but as they are expensive, the European taxpayers will bear the financial burden while "Americans, as always, will remain at least with their own, and most likely -- with good profits."

"I am convinced that many experts understand the absurdity of this idea too. It's just that, in terms of technological aspects, this plan is quite a failure, and most importantly, it is a clear overestimation of the potential that it will add to the armed forces of Ukraine," he stressed.

As for the deliveries of German Leopard tanks, Moscow is not holding any discussions with Berlin about the issue, he noted.

Peskov refuted the reports that the hacker group Killnet, accused of a massive attack on the websites of government agencies and banks in Germany after reports of the transfer of Leopard tanks to Ukraine, is of Russian origin.

"We are not aware of what kind of group this is. We sincerely wonder why any group of hackers is associated with Russia. No one can explain why (such groups are associated) with Russia, and not with some, for example, European countries," he said.

The official noted that most cyberattacks on Russian sensitive points, including the presidential website, are carried out from the US, adding: "Should all hacker groups be associated with the White House based on this? It would probably sound absurd."

Asked which computer Russian President Vladimir Putin uses, Peskov said "right and secure computer."

Commenting on remarks by Ukraine's presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak, who said Kyiv is considering strikes on Moscow, Saint Petersburg, and Yekaterinburg, the spokesman said: "Kyiv is involved in the organization of terrorist attacks and does not shun from any methods."

He also said proposals to extend the existing support measures provided for the families of mobilized Russians to the families of the members of the private military companies should be worked out.

About scientists' move of the "Doomsday Clock" to 90 seconds to midnight due to the ongoing Moscow-Kyiv war, Peskov said the global situation is "extremely alarming and tense," and its development does not promise any detente. The clock, now standing at 90 seconds to midnight, is the closest to global catastrophe it has ever been.

The Doomsday Clock is set every year by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists and serves as a leading indicator of the world’s vulnerability to global catastrophe caused by technologies of man’s own making.

The spokesman said the assessments that the security of the European continent may be only provided through the continuation of the war in Ukraine are "absurd" and "dead-end."

Such "delusions" are fraught with a further continuation of "the terrible period" through which the world is going right now, he said.