“Raising tension and actions aimed at escalation will in no way contribute to the peace process, and further escalation could lead the Russian Armed Forces to establish a broad security zone,” the spokesman told the press on Thursday.

  He also accused the US administration of making a mistake by believing that military pressure could pave the way for an agreement.

  “We observe certain errors of perception within the White House regarding the idea that escalation and military pressure can help advance a peaceful solution. This is a flawed approach,” he emphasized.

  At the same time, he noted that the United States—unlike European countries—remains willing to contribute to a negotiated resolution of the Ukrainian conflict, despite supplying weapons to Kyiv.

  Since February 24, 2022, Russian forces have been conducting a special military operation to halt Ukrainian shelling of civilians in Donetsk and Luhansk—two territories that declared independence from Ukraine in 2014 and joined Russia in September 2022 following respective referendums.

  According to the Russian leadership, the military campaign’s objectives are to stop “the genocide of the peoples of Donetsk and Luhansk committed by the Ukrainian regime,” counter the national security risks posed by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) advance toward Russia’s borders, and complete the disarmament and denazification of Ukraine.

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