European countries are doing everything they can to encourage Kiev to continue the conflict, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday. "From our point of view, the attitude of European countries is a key factor. They are sparing no effort to encourage the regime in Kiev to continue fighting, thus effectively preventing it from engaging in negotiations," Dmitry Peskov told the Kremlin, adding that Europe's role in the escalation of the war situation with Russia has reached a maximum. He added that Kiev would have acted differently if not for Europe's support.
On Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the Copenhagen summit, where he warned that recent drone incidents show Russia's desire to further escalate the conflict. "The recent drone attacks across Europe are a clear signal that Russia still feels confident enough to escalate this war," Volodymyr Zelensky said, adding: "It was never just about Ukraine. Russia has always aimed at splitting the West and Europe." Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected the accusations but said Moscow was "closely watching the growing militarisation of Europe", adding that Russia's response would be timely and "significant". He accused Europe of whipping up "hysteria" to justify rising military spending and stressed that Russia was not a threat. "Just calm down," he said.
According to Dmitry Peskov, European countries are trying to portray Russia as an "evil force". "That is why they are planning to dramatically increase their military spending," he stressed, adding that Europe is hindering efforts to reach a peaceful settlement in Ukraine. He further said that US President Donald Trump's peace initiatives to resolve the Ukrainian situation have run into "European militarism", yet they remain important. "Washington retains the political will to move towards a political-diplomatic solution to the Ukrainian situation, and Russia takes this fact into account," he noted.
Dmitry Peskov stressed that Russia is now working to protect the interests of future generations, adding that the country will continue its "special military operation" while remaining open to negotiations. In August, Donald Trump and Putin met in the US state of Alaska and made some progress, but failed to reach an agreement on the Ukraine crisis. Dmitry Peskov said on Sunday that Putin is willing to meet Donald Trump in Moscow, but the decision is up to the US side.
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