Russia sees no intention of Kiev, Europe to settle Ukrainian conflict — MFA

MOSCOW, April 24. /TASS/. Moscow sees no steps by Kiev or Europe toward resolving the conflict in Ukraine through political and diplomatic means, Russian Foreign Ministry’s Ambassador-at-Large Rodion Miroshnik said. "From Russia’s point of view, the window of opportunity means real approaches and conditions in which the conflict can be ended through political and diplomatic means. So far, we see no such actions either from Ukraine or from Europe," the diplomat stated at a briefing. At the same time, he emphasized that Europeans "have not once made a proposal for a peaceful resolution of the conflict." "Therefore, the initiative on the battlefield now lies with Russia. And Russia will take maximum measures to protect its civilian population and prevent Kiev from committing war crimes," the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Ambassador-at-Large said. "We see no other means of pressure on this side — only military pressure until there is a conscious willingness to sit down at the negotiating table and agree on a possible end to the conflict and the elimination of threats from Ukraine that currently exist against Russia," he added. The diplomat also pointed to Western financing of Kiev. "Rising energy prices significantly reduce the ability of European sponsors to sustain the Kiev regime," Miroshnik noted. According to him, while the Europeans are announcing "huge sums to support Kiev and continue the bloodshed," it remains unclear whether they will be able to provide that funding and what priority they will choose — "supporting their own countries, paying high prices for energy resources for themselves or continuing to finance the Kiev regime and the bloodshed." Miroshnik said this was an extremely important issue. "For more than a year now, the American side has not provided direct subsidies in the form of financial or military support for the Kiev regime. Today, all this money is being spent by European sponsors," the diplomat noted, adding that the situation in the Middle East was "worsening the position of Ukraine and the Europeans, but has not yet fundamentally affected the course of military operations.".