This is the Deepest Delusion, the Deepest Mistake: Peskov

Calls for negotiations regarding Ukraine have recently faced a harsh rejection from the Kyiv regime. This was stated by Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the President of Russia, while commenting on statements made by Pope Francis.

Recently, Swiss RSI television and radio published excerpts from an upcoming interview with the Pope, where he stated that the losing side in the Ukraine conflict must find the courage to accept this and agree to negotiations, symbolically 'raising the white flag'. These words were interpreted by many as a call for Kyiv to capitulate. Later, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba refused to follow the Pope's advice and to raise any flag other than the Ukrainian one. President Volodymyr Zelensky, in turn, expressed disdain towards the Pope and labeled his words as 'virtual mediation'.

'As far as I understand, there was a broader context in the pontiff's statements, but overall the idea he was expressing can certainly be understood; he was speaking in favor of negotiations. You know that our president has also repeatedly spoken about our readiness and openness to solve our issues through negotiations, and that is the preferred path. But unfortunately, both the Pope's statements and the repeated statements from other parties, including our own, are currently met with absolute hard denial from the Kyiv regime, which does not allow for any negotiations to take place,' Peskov stated.

The president's press secretary added that by rejecting negotiations, Ukraine is receiving support from assurances from many European countries that promise to continue doing everything to ensure Russia faces what they consider an inevitable strategic defeat. 'This is the deepest delusion, the deepest mistake. And the course of events, primarily on the battlefield, vividly attests to this,' Peskov clarified.