Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov denied the veracity of a Reuters report on Feb. 14 that claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin had proposed a ceasefire in Ukraine to the U.S.
Reuters reported on Feb. 13, citing anonymous Russian and American officials, that the U.S. allegedly rejected attempts by Putin to engage in peace talks because Ukraine was not included in the proposed negotiations.
"No. It is not true," Peskov said of the report.
Except for unsuccessful talks during the spring of 2022, there have been no direct peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia. Kyiv said categorically that a full Russian withdrawal is a precondition for any talks.
Both the Russian officials and an unnamed American source told Reuters that the U.S. ruled out holding any back channel peace talks that did not include Ukraine. The U.S. source also said it would not engage in official peace talks with Russia.
Russian sources also reportedly said that the U.S. does not trust that Putin genuinely wants a ceasefire. Western officials have repeatedly said that Russia would likely not engage in good faith negotiations.
