Russia Redirects Ukraine Peace Talks Solely to U.S.
Addressing reporters in Moscow, Peskov characterized the incident as a "terrorist act aimed at derailing the negotiation process."
He referenced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Christmas message, in which the leader wished death upon an unnamed individual, claiming the target was Putin.
"It is directed not only personally against President Putin—and here I would still like to recall Zelenskyy's Christmas address and the words he spoke about Putin — but it is also directed against (US President Donald) Trump, aimed at undermining President Trump's efforts to contribute to a peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian conflict," he said.
Peskov insisted that Kyiv's "provocations, acts of state terrorism, are not capable of shaking this level of confidential dialogue between" Putin and Trump.
"The presidents maintain a confidential nature of dialogue and continue to talk," he said.
On potential repercussions, Peskov indicated diplomatic consequences would include hardening Russia's negotiating terms, while militarily, Russian forces "know how, with what, and when to respond."
When pressed on specific measures Moscow would adopt, Peskov replied: "Naturally, as with our negotiating position before, we do not intend to do this publicly."
The spokesman condemned Zelenskyy and Western outlets for attempting to rationalize the strike, calling such efforts "insane."
"We see that Zelensky himself is trying to deny it, and many Western media, playing along with the Kyiv regime, are starting to push narratives that, supposedly, this didn't happen," he said.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha rejected Kyiv's involvement and challenged Russia to produce proof.
"Almost a day has passed, and Russia still hasn't provided any credible evidence to support its accusations. And it won't. Because there isn't any," he said.
He expressed frustration with responses from nations including the UAE, India and Pakistan, which he said "expressed concern about an attack that never happened," contending their reaction would differ if Russia had targeted a Ukrainian government facility.
When questioned about evidence, Peskov responded: "I don't think there should be any evidence here if such a massive drone raid was carried out, which, thanks to the well-coordinated work of air defense, were shot down and neutralized."
"As for the wreckage, that is a matter for our military," he added.
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