Russia says any time is good for Ukrainian settlement

MOSCOW

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday that any time is good for settling the Ukrainian conflict through political and diplomatic means.

Speaking at a press briefing in Moscow, Peskov said Russia remains open to a peaceful settlement, provided it leads to the elimination of the root causes of the conflict.

"Any time is the best for peaceful settlement. Settlement through peaceful politico-diplomatic means," he said.

Peskov confirmed that Russia and the US maintain contacts but noted that a full-fledged consultation process on Ukraine is not underway. "The process that could be called consultations -- no, it is not happening," he stressed.

Addressing statements by Airbus head Rene Obermann on the need to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Europe -- allegedly to protect against Russian defensive systems in Kaliningrad -- Peskov criticized the remarks. He said they indicate that Europeans are losing "restraint and thoughtfulness in their approaches."

He emphasized that the Kaliningrad region is an integral part of Russia and that "everything necessary" will be done to defend it.

Asked to confirm media reports on a 28-point plan between Russia and the US for resolving the situation in Ukraine, Peskov said he had nothing to add.

"I can only repeat what we've already said repeatedly yesterday. We can't add anything new to what was discussed in Anchorage. There are no novelties in this regard," he said.

Peskov also said that there are still no plans for Russian President Vladimir Putin to meet Army Secretary Daniel Driskoll and Chief of Staff of the Army Randy George, who are currently visiting Kyiv.

About the use of artificial intelligence (AI), Peskov said the Kremlin uses such tools to process large amounts of data. However, he added that Putin does not use AI in his work.