Russia is open to considering new ideas and proposals related to achieving peace in Ukraine, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said today, quoted by Reuters, BTA reports.
She made the comment after a Ukrainian source told Reuters last week that US and Ukrainian officials had discussed a proposal for an air ceasefire to be presented to their counterparts in Russia as part of a new round of peace talks.
The Kremlin said earlier in the day that it had not received any concrete new proposals for a ceasefire with Ukraine at this stage, Reuters reported, noting that the comments were made before the meeting between the Ukrainian and US presidents in Washington tomorrow.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his US counterpart Donald Trump will meet tomorrow in Washington. Last week, a Ukrainian official said that Ukraine and the US were discussing a proposal for an air ceasefire to be presented to the Russian side during a new round of talks.
"This information did indeed appear a few days ago, but at this stage it is nothing more than media speculation. There is nothing concrete on this issue, nor are there any details about new proposals for a ceasefire," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Peskov declined to comment on Zelensky's statement that 30,000 North Korean troops were expected to arrive in Russia's Voronezh region. "I do not consider it necessary to comment. "It is not Zelensky's business to talk about our plans," the spokesman added.
Last night, Ukraine struck an export terminal in Russia's Rostov region, as well as oil facilities in Yaroslavl region and in the Udmurt Republic, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said today, as quoted by Reuters.
"We are implementing our plan to impose far-reaching sanctions and reduce Russia's ability to finance the war," Zelensky wrote on the X social network, referring to the strikes carried out deep inside Russian territory.
For its part, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that Russian forces had struck two ships carrying military cargo in the port city of Nikolaev in southern Ukraine.
Reuters notes that it cannot independently verify this information.
In recent weeks, Russia and Ukraine have increased the intensity of hostilities in the region and in the waters of the Black and Azov Seas, with both sides each launching attacks on dozens of ships, including oil tankers and cargo ships, Reuters recalls.