Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday, the 28th of April, that they were waiting for a signal from Ukraine that it was ready to hold direct talks to end the war, but there were no signs of any movement, according to Reuters.
The Kremlin said last Friday that direct talks were discussed during a three-hour meeting between President Vladimir Putin and US envoy Steve Witkoff.
Moscow and Kyiv are under pressure from the US to reach a deal that would end the worst war in Europe since the Second World War.
Asked by a journalist whether the signal for direct talks should come from Ukraine or the US, Peskov replied, “From Kyiv, at least Kyiv should take some steps in this regard. They have a legal ban. But so far we don’t see any action.”
MEANWHILE, MOSCOW WOULD CONTINUE ITS “SPECIAL MILITARY OPERATION”, HE SAID.
Moscow and Kyiv have not held direct talks since March 2022, shortly after the start of Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine. Later that year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued a decree barring talks with Putin after Russia declared four regions of Ukraine its own.
Zelenskyy has stated that Kyiv will be ready for talks with Moscow as soon as a ceasefire is agreed.
Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, said on Monday that the continuation of Russian attacks contradicted Kremlin statements about its desire for peace.
“Russia is not ceasing fire at the front and is now attacking Ukraine with Shaheds,” Yermak wrote on Telegram, referring to the Iranian-made drones widely used by Russian forces. “All Russian statements about peace without ceasing fire are simply lies.”
Russia and Ukraine accuse each other of not wanting to make peace.
Meanwhile, North Korea confirmed for the first time on Monday that it has sent troops to fight on Russia’s side in the war in Ukraine, and Putin expressed his personal gratitude to North Korea and Kim Jong Un.
“WE WILL ALWAYS HONOUR THE KOREAN HEROES WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR RUSSIA, FOR OUR COMMON FREEDOM, JUST LIKE THEIR ARMED RUSSIAN BROTHERS,”
Putin said in a statement released by the Kremlin.
North Korea’s Workers’ Party Central Military Commission said Kim made the decision to deploy troops in line with the comprehensive strategic partnership agreement he signed with Putin last year.
“All those who fought for justice are heroes and representatives of the honour of the motherland,” KCNA quoted Kim as saying.
A video showing North Koreans being trained for war in Ukraine was also published in the Russian media.
⚡️⚡️Russian propagandists showed how North Korean fighters were trained in Russia before being sent to fight against Ukraine in the Kursk region pic.twitter.com/YGISgNrrqc
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) April 28, 2025
According to Ukrainian officials, North Korea sent some 14 000 troops, including 3 000 reinforcements, to replace its losses in the Kursk region, which the North Koreans say they helped liberate. Lacking experience with armoured vehicles and drones, they suffered heavy losses but adapted quickly.
North Korea has also supplied weapons, including artillery ammunition and ballistic missiles.