Russia says 'no preconditions’ for peace in Ukraine

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Russia stressed Tuesday that there are no preconditions for the transition to peace in Ukraine.

"A special military operation continues. There are no preconditions for a transition to some kind of peaceful course in this situation. And that is why Russia is implementing its tasks to achieve its goals by further conducting a special military operation," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at a press briefing in Moscow.

Commenting on China's peace plan for Ukraine, Peskov said Russia "attentively" considers all ideas voiced in Beijing.

Referring to a recent comment by Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang that "an invisible hand is directing the conflict in Ukraine," Peskov said: "You know what the joke is? This hand is not invisible. This hand is visible. This is the hand of the United States of America. This is the hand of Washington."

"Washington does not want this war to end. Washington wants and will do everything to continue this war. This is the visible hand," he stressed.

Asked about a possible date for Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Russia, Peskov promised to provide the information and what will be on the agenda "in a timely manner.”

Regarding the oil price cap imposed by Western countries, Peskov said Russia does not recognize any "cap" and is working to nullify its effect on Russia's interests.

He pointed out that due to the cap's “high bar" on the one hand and the limits that exist on the other hand, the current level of prices is much lower than the price cap, and therefore, it does not affect them.

The European Union’s ban on Russian seaborne oil products as well as a price cap of $100 per barrel on premium Russian oil products such as diesel and a price cap of $45 per barrel on discounted products such as fuel oil went into effect on Feb. 5.

Nearly a month into the ban, Russia will now begin enacting plans to cut crude oil production by 500,000 barrels per day.