The Kremlin said Wednesday that "forcing" Russia into peace would be a "fatal mistake," rejecting remarks made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the United Nations.
Zelensky said Tuesday that Russia could only be forced into peace, and vowed not to negotiate on Moscow's terms to end the conflict.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Wednesday that "such a position is a fatal mistake, a systemic mistake."
"It is a profound misconception that will inevitably have consequences for the Kyiv regime," he added. "Russia is in favor of peace, but with the conditions that its stability is ensured and the objectives of the special military operation are fulfilled."
"Without achieving these goals, it is impossible to coerce Russia," Peskov said.
Zelensky is in the United States this week hoping to boost international backing for Kyiv. "We know some in the world want to talk" to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Zelensky told the UN on Tuesday.
However, he called that position "insanity," saying that "Russia can only be forced into peace, and that is exactly what's needed — forcing Russia into peace."
More than two and a half years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the two sides appear as far apart as ever when it comes to a possible deal to end the fighting.
Kyiv launched a shock counteroffensive into Russia's western Kursk region last month, the first assault on Russian territory by a foreign army since World War II.
Moscow has demanded Kyiv abandon the territory it currently controls in the east and south of Ukraine as a precondition for peace talks.
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