Kremlin comments on possibility of truce with Ukraine

Kiev has refused calls for a ceasefire, spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said

Kiev has refused calls for a truce with Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday in response to a question about a Hungarian initiative and the reaction to it by US President-elect Donald Trump’s team.

Last week, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban urged a Christmas ceasefire in the hostilities between Ukraine and Russia, describing it as a last-ditch attempt to mediate a diplomatic resolution of the conflict. He floated the idea to Kiev and Moscow, as well as to Trump, who he personally met at his residence in Florida.

On Sunday, US Congressman Mike Waltz, who Trump has tapped to serve as national security adviser in his future administration, said the transition team is taking “a hard look” at Orban’s idea. Trump has stated on several occasions his intention to push for a ceasefire and a negotiated peace once he is sworn in next month.

”First, the Trump team is not in charge in the White House now,” Peskov said when asked about Waltz’s remarks during a media briefing. Secondly, the Hungarian proposal “was not supported by the Ukrainian side, specifically by [Ukrainian leader Vladimir] Zelensky.”

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Orban said Kiev rejected his call for a Christmas truce and prisoner swap with Russia. Zelensky appeared to accuse the Hungarian leader of trying to “boost [his] personal image at the expense of unity” in his response to Orban’s X post about his diplomatic engagements.

Kiev’s rebuttal of Budapest’s initiative reportedly included a refusal to hold a direct phone call between Zelensky and Orban, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto revealed last week. The gesture was “quite unprecedented in diplomacy” and done “somewhat forcedly and politely,” he told the media. Orban spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin for around an hour last week.

EU leaders are reportedly discussing the potential deployment of their militaries inside Ukraine, provided that a ceasefire is achieved. The troops would be given a peacekeeping mission, according to media reports. Some Russian officials have suggested that Western boots on the ground could be viewed in Moscow as an occupying force.

Peskov reiterated on Monday that it is too early to discuss peacekeeping missions, since even direct negotiations with Kiev remain impossible due to Zelensky’s obstruction.