Russia seeks "final solution," not just ceasefire, says Putin aide

Washington, DC [US], October 25 (ANI): Russia is aiming for a "final solution" to the war in Ukraine and not merely a ceasefire, President Vladimir Putin's aide and Russia's top economic envoy Kirill Dmitriev said in an interview with CNN on Friday, suggesting that Moscow, Washington, and Kyiv are now "reasonably close to a diplomatic solution."

Dmitriev, who is currently in the United States for meetings with American officials, said the ongoing talks are focused on achieving a lasting peace that prevents Russia and Ukraine from further fighting.

"Russia really wants not just a ceasefire, but the final solution to the conflict," he said, adding that ceasefires are often short-lived because "many people can use it to do all sorts of rearmament and preparation for continuation of the conflict".

Dmitriev is scheduled to meet President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Whitkoff, in Miami on Saturday, as per CNN.

Dmitriev expressed optimism about Trump's mediation efforts, saying he believes dialogue is the only path to peace. "I think dialogue is important. Only through dialogue can conflicts be solved," he said.

He also stressed that understanding Russia's security concerns is key to reaching a settlement. "Sanctions are not a big issue," he said, pointing out that Putin had noted Russia would not act under pressure and that Western sanctions would only push oil prices higher globally.

"I think dialogue is important. Only through dialogue can conflicts be solved. I think it's important to understand Russian position, Russian security concerns.

"Sanctions are really not such a big issue. President Putin mentioned yesterday two points. He said Russia will never act under pressure. And secondly, those sanctions will just lift oil prices in the world, will result in high gasoline prices in the US, and Russia will be just selling maybe less oil at a higher price. So I think the real issue is just how to continue dialogue, how to have a peaceful resolution to the crisis, while really having realistic solutions, rather than pushing forward unrealistic solutions," Dmitriev added.

Dmitriev said during the interview that Trump also believes that a ceasefire alone would not be enough.

"Ceasefire can always be broken. It's really a temporary solution," he said, noting that all sides, Russia, Ukraine, and the US, were now closer to a framework for peace.

He welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's recent shift in tone, saying it marked progress. "Zelensky has already acknowledged that it's about battle lines. His previous position was that Russia should leave completely. So actually, I think we are reasonably close to a diplomatic solution that can be worked out," he said.

His comments came after US President Donald Trump cancelled a planned summit with Putin in Budapest, saying the timing "didn't feel right" for a breakthrough. However, Trump signalled that the meeting could take place later, and both leaders have expressed willingness to continue talks.

On Thursday, addressing the press, Putin also confirmed that the planned Russia-US summit in Budapest has been postponed. Putin added that the meeting was initially proposed by the American side only, and was announced last week following a phone call between Trump and Putin.

He said it would have been a "mistake to approach the summit without proper preparations" but added that a meeting could still take place later. "Dialogue is always better than confrontation, arguments, and the continuation of war," Putin said.

Dmitriev also confirmed that the meeting between President Putin and President Trump will take place, but probably at a later date.

The Kremlin aide praised Trump's previous peace efforts, particularly his mediation in Gaza, saying the US president's approach of maintaining direct communication with Moscow stands in contrast to Joe Biden's policy of isolation. "

"President Trump has achieved great successes in achieving a peace deal in Gaza, and I think his big success is having dialogue with Russia. And by the way, we had the first stop of heating on the energy infrastructure of Russia and Ukraine because of President Trump. And I'm sure this conflict will have a diplomatic solution, so all those efforts will lead to a result," he said.

He further said, "It's much better to have dialogue with Russia than like President Biden, who wanted to have a strategic defeat of Russia, and that strategy obviously failed".

When asked about reports that Russian strikes had hit a nursing home in Kharkiv, Dmitriev denied direct responsibility, saying Russia targeted only military sites. "Sometimes Ukrainian air defence rockets hit their targets. But again, it's not my area. I'm not a military guy. I'm just working to have dialogue and make sure that the conflict is ended as soon as possible," he said.

On October 22, a Russian drone had struck a kindergarten in Ukraine's Kharkiv city after a massive overnight assault, killing one person and injuring seven others, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had said in X post. (ANI)

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