Kremlin warns Ukraine running out of time to accept peace terms as winter crisis deepens
The Kremlin insists Ukraine is running out of options as US-led talks stall, warning that the ‘situation is deteriorating’ for Kyiv daily
The Kremlin said on Thursday that Ukraine was running out of options to strike a deal to end almost four years of war with Russia, as thousands were without heating in Kyiv in -12 degrees Celsius (10 degrees Fahrenheit) temperatures following waves of Russian strikes on the country’s energy grid.
Moscow has not backed down from its intention to seize the rest of east Ukraine as the fourth anniversary of its offensive – Europe’s worst war since World War II – looms.
“The situation is deteriorating day by day for the Kyiv regime,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, adding that Ukraine’s “corridor for decision-making” was “narrowing”.
Russia has rejected Western proposals to end the war and said it is intent on taking the rest of Ukrainian land it has proclaimed as Russian by force if diplomacy fails.
“The time has come for [Ukrainian leader Volodymyr] Zelensky to take responsibility and make the appropriate decision,” Peskov said, apparently urging Kyiv to agree to Moscow’s hardline terms.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has demanded Kyiv withdraw from swathes of eastern and southern Ukraine as a precondition to a ceasefire.
