Reuters reported that on February 24, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov affirmed that Moscow wanted a long-term peace agreement in Ukraine, which included resolving the root cause of the conflict instead of a quick ceasefire.
In an interview with RIA news agency, Ryabkov said that the US moves show that the country is looking to propose a quick ceasefire. Meanwhile, Russia believes that if this happens, war will break out again.
The Russian Deputy Minister warned that a resumption of the conflict due to a lack of a "long-term solution" could make the situation worse, negatively affecting Russia-US relations. We dont want that, Ryabkov said.
According to Mr. Ryabkov, the Russia-US talks in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) last week were seen by Moscow as a step to restore bilateral relations and prepare for negotiations on Ukraine.
However, US President Donald Trump's peace plan to date has not been clarified.
Mr. Ryabkov continued to repeat Russia's stance that the country had no choice but to launch a special military operation in Ukraine, citing NATO's continued unrestrained expansion to the east.
Ryabkov's interview with RIA was released on February 24, exactly three years after tens of thousands of Russian soldiers began advancing into Ukraine under the orders of Russian President Putin.
