Kremlin welcomes US decision to halt military aid to Ukraine

The Kremlin on Tuesday welcomed the U.S. pause in military aid to Ukraine, claiming it could push Kyiv to the negotiating table, The Guardian writes.

“If this is true, then it is a decision that could genuinely push the Kyiv regime towards a peace process,” Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told journalists. “This would probably be the best contribution to the cause of peace,” he added.

Peskov said he expected European countries to try to “compensate” for the shortfall in US ammunition supplies. “But, of course, the main volume has still been coming from the US, through U.S. channels,” he said.

Moscow also welcomed media reports that the US is considering a plan for possible sanctions relief for Russia.

“Our position on sanctions is well known – we consider them illegal,” Peskov said. “Of course, if we’re talking about normalizing bilateral relations, they need to be freed from this negative burden of so-called sanctions.”