Moscow wants no war with Ukraine but cares for Russian-speaking residents: Kremlin

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky inspects the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine at the frontline of defense in Donbass, eastern Ukraine, April 8, 2021. (Ukrainian Presidential Office/Handout via Xinhua)

Political advisers of the Russian, German, French and Ukrainian leaders are working towards holding a summit on eastern Ukraine.

Russia does not seek a war with Ukraine but is concerned for the Russian-speaking population in the country's eastern Donbass region, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Sunday.

"No one is going to move towards a war, and no one at all accepts any possibility of such a war," Peskov told a Russian TV program.

"Russia has never been a party to this conflict (between Kiev and insurgents in Donbass). But Russia has always said that it will not remain indifferent to the fate of Russian speakers who live in the southeast of Ukraine," he added.

According to the spokesman, Kiev refuses to fulfill its responsibilities under the Minsk agreements on a Donbass settlement, with government forces intensifying "provocative actions" in the region.

Russia, Germany and France are "bewildered" by Kiev's recent claims that the Minsk agreements are useless, Peskov said, adding that there are no alternatives to the pacts for a peaceful settlement of the conflict.

Political advisers of the Russian, German, French and Ukrainian leaders are working towards holding a summit on eastern Ukraine, he said.