Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Tuesday urged Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to negotiate a peace settlement instead of a ceasefire.
Commenting on Zelesnkyy's statement about a possible ceasefire on the occasion of Orthodox Easter, Peskov said the proposal was not clear.
"From the statements by Zelenskyy that we have read, we did not see a clearly formulated initiative for an 'Easter truce,'" he said.
Peskov claimed that Zelenskyy is now trying to achieve a ceasefire because the dynamics on the front are not in Kyiv's favor.
"He spoke, as always, about readiness to agree to a ceasefire—any ceasefire, even an Easter one," Peskov noted.
He added: "The Kyiv regime desperately needs a ceasefire, any ceasefire, because the dynamics on the front, which, incidentally, are being monitored not only by our specialists but also by foreign ones, indicate that Russian forces—faster, somewhere slower—are advancing along the entire front line."
"Zelenskyy must take responsibility and make an appropriate decision so that we move toward peace, not just a truce," Peskov emphasized.
Catholic and Protestant Christians will celebrate Easter on April 5, while Orthodox Christians in Russia and Ukraine will celebrate Easter a week later on April 12, due to calendar differences. The Orthodox Church uses the Julian calendar for calculations, whereas Western churches use the Gregorian calendar, which frequently causes Orthodox Christmas and Easter to fall later.
Commenting on Ukraine's drone attacks on the Russian port of Ust-Luga in the Leningrad region, Peskov said Russia will draw conclusions if EU countries have provided their airspace for strikes.
"We believe that if airspace is being provided for hostile, terrorist activities against the Russian Federation, this will compel us to draw appropriate conclusions and take appropriate measures," he said.
All critical infrastructure facilities in Russia are being protected, but it is not always possible to ensure their 100% security, he noted, adding that Russia is conducting intensive work to protect not only the port of Ust-Luga but also other important facilities.
"Intensive work is underway. This applies not only to the aforementioned port but also to all other critical infrastructure facilities," he said. "The main thing here is how our military analyzes the situation; they are carefully monitoring it, analyzing it, and making appropriate proposals, which are then considered."
Asked if any contacts are expected between Russian and Cuban presidents following the delivery of the Russian humanitarian aid to the island, Peskov said the dialogue between the two countries at the working level is constant and will continue.
"A telephone conversation between Putin and the leadership of Cuba is not yet scheduled, but if necessary, it can be organized quickly," he said.
