The Kremlin reaffirmed on Friday that President Vladimir Putin continues to consider diplomacy a potential path to achieving Russia’s objectives, while simultaneously expanding what Moscow describes as a security buffer on the Russia-Ukraine border.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that, in Moscow’s assessment, Ukraine does not presently appear willing to enter talks. He said Russian forces are continuing their military campaign and that the widening of the border security zone is a response to actions by Kyiv that the Kremlin views as escalatory.
Peskov framed the move as a direct reaction to recent Ukrainian operations. He said Russia is increasing the size of the security area along the frontier because, in his words, Ukraine is attempting to escalate the situation.
Those remarks were made after a Reuters article published Thursday, which cited three sources close to the Kremlin saying that Ukraine’s recent drone strikes on Russian oil refineries and ports had strengthened President Putin’s determination to persist with the campaign.
The Kremlin spokesman also confirmed that a telephone conversation between President Putin and President Trump has not yet taken place.
The statements together present a combination of continued rhetorical openness to diplomacy and concrete steps on the ground to enlarge what Moscow describes as its security perimeter. The Kremlin’s account, as relayed by Peskov, links the decision to expand the buffer zone to what it characterizes as escalatory Ukrainian actions, specifically the reported drone strikes on energy infrastructure and port facilities.
Details beyond those public statements were not provided in the comments attributed to the Kremlin spokesman. The Russian position, as stated by Peskov, is that military operations will continue while diplomatic options remain on the table, and that the scale of the security zone along the border is being increased in response to perceived escalation.
Separately, the Kremlin acknowledged that a direct phone call between the two presidents has not occurred to date, leaving open whether and when such a diplomatic exchange might take place.
Summary
- Putin said to remain open to diplomacy while Russia expands a border buffer zone.
- Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia believes Ukraine is not currently seeking talks and that the military campaign is ongoing.
- Comments followed reporting that recent Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian oil refineries and ports bolstered Kremlin resolve.
Contextual note - The Kremlin linked the decision to enlarge the security zone to what it described as escalatory actions by Ukraine; beyond the spokesman's statements, no further operational details were provided.