Russia would prefer to achieve the goals of its special military operation in Ukraine peacefully, but sees no readiness for dialogue on the other side, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said today.

From the beginning, President Vladimir Putin has reiterated that we are ready for a political and diplomatic solution, because the special military operation is an extreme measure, Peskov told the Izvestia newspaper on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum in the Russian city of Vladivostok. He added that the Kremlin opted for this extreme measure «after the Western community and Ukraine rejected all proposals for dialogue».

«The most important thing for us is to achieve the goals we set ourselves, how to achieve them is secondary. We would prefer to do it peacefully, but we see now in Washington, neither in European capitals, nor in Ukraine, which is led by them, the propensity to political and diplomatic means,» he said.

He added that «therefore, the special military operation has to continue until all its objectives are achieved».

Russia has been conducting a special military operation in Ukraine since 24 February 2022, which Putin says aims to protect the population from genocide by the Kiev government.

It is also aimed at countering the national security risks posed by the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation’s eastward advance.

In mid-June Putin formulated several key conditions for the start of peace negotiations, in particular that Ukraine withdraw troops from four new Russian territories (Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporozhie).

In addition, that it desists from joining NATO and maintains neutral, non-aligned and non-nuclear status, and that all sanctions against Russia be lifted.