Spokesperson of the Russian government: Zelensky is not willing to accept responsibility and peace

Confirming Donald Trump's criticism of the President of Ukraine, the Kremlin declared Zelensky an obstacle to the peace agreement.

Ambassador Arjan - International Group: Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Friday confirmed US President Donald Trump's criticism of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky regarding the suspension of peace efforts.

"It is quite clear that Zelensky does not want to accept responsibility and enter into a peaceful settlement process," Peskov told reporters at his daily press conference.

Peskov added: "In this context, we completely agree with President Trump's point of view."

In an interview with the Newsmax network, Trump strongly criticized Zelensky and said that he believes that Russia and Ukraine will eventually reach a truce after the Ukrainian president steps down from power.

"He doesn't want to make a deal," Trump said of Zelensky and the war that has lasted more than four and a half years. He says he wants to reach an agreement, but in reality he has no such intention."

Trump noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelensky both want an end to the war, but stressed that he thinks dealing with Zelensky is more difficult than dealing with Putin.

Putin still wants Ukraine to hand over full control of the Donetsk region as a precondition for any ceasefire agreement; A condition that Kiev has rejected many times.

"We are talking about countries that are involved in the illegal confiscation of Russian funds and assets," Peskov said, noting that the countries whose company assets were transferred to an interim government were illegally in possession of Russian funds. These are the countries involved in the illegal confiscation of property belonging to Russian companies within their borders, etc. In other words, they are literally unfriendly countries."

Peskov stated that US efforts to resolve the conflict in Ukraine are thwarted by the Kiev regime and Zelensky's rejection of peace.

He added: "American negotiators are making a lot of efforts to start the peace process in Ukraine."

Sources close to the Kremlin told Bloomberg last month that Putin expects Russian forces to take full control of the Donetsk region by late February 2027.

European leaders met in Brussels on Friday to back Zelensky unconditionally in response to growing tensions between Washington and Kiev.

Despite his public support for Zelensky, European officials reportedly plan to ask him in private conversations to tone down his public criticism of Trump.

In this regard, Kirill Dmitriev, the special representative of the Russian President on investment and economic cooperation with foreign countries and the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), emphasized that Zelensky and the British warmongers are undermining peace.

"Spending time in London doesn't help peace," Dmitriev wrote on Platform X. "British warmongers know how to promote war and undermine peace."

Dmitriev was commenting on Zelensky's interview with the Financial Times, in which Zelensky said he had lifted a ban on targeting Russian oil refineries despite US calls for a halt to such attacks.

On the other hand, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on Friday that there is enough diesel to meet domestic demand in Russia and exports.

The Kremlin announced on Thursday that Russian diesel has entered world markets following an agreement with US President Donald Trump.

According to a decree issued by Vladimir Putin, Russia has seized the domestic assets of four companies from France, Germany, Sweden and Belgium. This action is seen as retaliation for Europe's support for Ukraine during the war.

The decree, issued on Thursday, lists assets owned by French flooring company Tarkett, German packaging company Munich, Swedish packaging company Sverige International Holdings and Belgian sanitary products company Ontex. The order also includes Russian assets formerly owned by the European metal packaging company Afsys, which was acquired by US packaging group Sanoco in December 2024. The decree states that these assets are now owned by Sanoco's Dutch subsidiary.

NBC television reported today (Friday) quoting informed sources that Donald Trump intends to approve the exchange of more information with Ukraine to help the country attack Russian oil and gas facilities.

Kirill Dmitriev, the special representative of the Russian President, announced the intensive communication with the American authorities and announced that the first diesel fuel supply contracts between the two countries will be signed in the coming days.

Vladimir Putin and Mohammad bin Zayed Al Nahyan discussed bilateral and international issues, developments in the Persian Gulf region, and agreements related to the supply of diesel to the American and world markets.