Russia will not give the AFU a "respite" until Putin's conditions are met - Russian Foreign Ministry

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said in an interview with the Russian propaganda agency TASS that Moscow would not allow the Ukrainian Defence Forces to take advantage of the respite and the opportunity to regroup until the "fundamental causes of the conflict" are removed.

Ryabkov said Donald Trump's return to the US administration raises cautious hopes in the Kremlin for improved bilateral relations. Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin, allegedly during phone talks with Trump, reiterated "the importance of eliminating the root causes of the conflict through political and diplomatic mechanisms."

The diplomat stressed that if Moscow's conditions are not met, Russia will take all necessary measures to prevent the Ukrainian army from taking advantage of even a minimal pause for rest and reorganisation.

Ryabkov also noted that the Kremlin's position is known to Washington and no sanctions measures will be able to change it.

It is surprising that there are people in the US Senate who, having lost the remnants of common sense, do not take this reality into account. Russia will continue its efforts to fulfil the objectives of the "special military operation". Ultimately, the decision and responsibility lies with Washington and Trump," he summarised.

Let us recall that on Monday, June 2, the second round of peace talks between the delegations of Ukraine and Russia took place in Istanbul. The meeting took place in the Ciragan Palace, with the Ukrainian side headed by Rustem Umerov. At the same time, the Russian side handed over to the Ukrainian delegation its own text of a "memorandum" on a ceasefire and ending the war. The project contained Moscow's already traditional demands demanding that Kyiv transfer four regions and Crimea under Russian control. The document also noted that for the period of the ceasefire, the Ukrainian Armed Forces should suspend mobilization and regrouping, and Western countries should not transfer their own weapons to Ukraine.

Following the talks, the Ukrainian delegation expressed confidence that the key issues could be resolved exclusively at the level of heads of state. At the same time, Dmitriy Peskov said that a meeting between Putin and Zelensky was unlikely in the near future.