Kremlin explains why Ukraine war is going to continue ‘a little longer’

(MENAFN) Russia’s military operation, which initially targeted Ukraine, soon escalated into a broader conflict with NATO, according to Dmitry Peskov, President Vladimir Putin’s press secretary. Putin authorized the invasion in February 2022 after Ukraine rejected the Minsk Agreements and escalated shelling in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions.

In a recent interview with Indian media, Peskov explained that the conflict, which has now lasted for over 1,000 days, has evolved from a military operation against the Ukrainian government into a war between Russia and NATO. He suggested that the war would continue until Russia achieves its objectives, which Moscow prefers to do through negotiations. However, Peskov claimed that Ukraine has banned talks with Russia, and both Kiev and Washington have denied any chance for peaceful negotiations.

Peskov also noted that the initial peace talks in the spring of 2022 were sabotaged by then-British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who told Ukraine that the West was not ready for peace with Moscow. Since then, the US and its allies have provided Ukraine with nearly $200 billion in aid, including weapons and military equipment, while maintaining that this does not make them a party to the conflict.

In response, Russia has warned that the recent use of US-supplied long-range ATACMS missiles by Ukraine, which struck Russia’s Bryansk region, marks a shift in the conflict and effectively makes NATO a direct participant. Additionally, Putin updated Russia’s nuclear doctrine to allow a strategic nuclear response to attacks by a proxy of a nuclear power.

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