Russia claimed that while U.S. President Donald Trump is working to resolve the Ukraine war, Europe is obstructing these efforts.
According to reports from RIA Novosti and others on the 31st (local time), Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesperson, stated that he appreciated President Trump's efforts for a peaceful resolution during an event at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit that opened in Tianjin, China.
On the other hand, he noted that "European countries are obstructing these efforts." It is said that European countries are encouraging the Ukrainian leadership to demand practically impossible territorial concessions from Russia, making peace negotiations more difficult.
Peskov said, "This is a serious mistake and does not help the Ukrainian regime at all," adding that "we are ready to resolve the issue through political and diplomatic means, but there has been no response from Ukraine, and we will continue our special military operations."
Earlier, President Trump also pointed to Europe as the reason for the lack of progress in peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine on the 30th (local time). According to Axios, the White House reports that some European leaders appear to support President Trump's efforts for an end to the war publicly, but privately encourage demands for practically impossible territorial concessions from Ukraine to Russia, thereby preventing the end of the war.