Russia has rejected fresh calls for a Christmas ceasefire in Ukraine, with the Kremlin framing any pause in fighting as contingent on a wider political settlement rather than a short-term truce.
Speaking on Tuesday, Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin’s spokesman, said Moscow was not interested in what he described as a ceasefire that would allow Kyiv time to regroup. Instead, he said Russia wanted a “full-fledged peace”, arguing that a temporary halt would not address what the Kremlin calls the underlying terms of a settlement.
Mr Peskov’s remarks came amid renewed diplomatic activity involving Kyiv, Washington and European capitals ahead of the Christmas and New Year period. Ukraine’s leadership has indicated support for a holiday ceasefire, including a halt to strikes on energy infrastructure, while stressing that implementation would depend on Moscow’s decision.
The latest proposal has been publicly associated with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who raised the idea of a Christmas truce and said it would depend on Russia’s response. In parallel, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine supported the concept and that the United States also backed it. In comments reported by Ukrainian state media, Mr Zelenskyy said he would support “any ceasefire” and specifically referred to an energy-related truce as a possible component.
The Kremlin, however, sought to link any discussion of a festive pause to a broader “deal”, using language that echoed messaging from US President Donald Trump. Asked about the holiday ceasefire idea, Mr Peskov said the key question was whether the parties were moving towards an agreement, and he rejected what he called “short-term, unviable solutions”.
Russia’s public position, as restated by Mr Peskov, is that it wants to end the war on terms that achieve its stated objectives and secure its interests. He said Moscow’s position was well known to both the United States and Ukraine. He also said Russia did not want a pause that would give Ukraine “a breathing space” before renewed fighting.
The exchange highlights a recurring fault line in ceasefire diplomacy since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022: proposals for limited pauses, humanitarian windows, or specific restraints — such as halts on attacks against critical infrastructure — have often become entangled with disputes about sequencing, verification, and the political framework for any longer-term settlement.
This week’s discussions also intersect with wider talks on security guarantees for Ukraine. Mr Peskov said Moscow had not yet seen details of proposals for NATO-style guarantees that US and European officials have said Washington has offered to provide. That issue is central to Kyiv’s position, with Ukrainian officials arguing that any ceasefire without enforceable guarantees would leave the country exposed to renewed Russian attacks.
Separate reporting on Tuesday described ongoing work on peace proposals involving Ukrainian, US and European officials, with expectations that documents could be finalised soon and then presented to Moscow. While the content of any package has not been published in full, public accounts suggest that security arrangements, territorial questions, and mechanisms to prevent a renewed escalation are among the unresolved areas.
For Kyiv, the case for a holiday ceasefire is straightforward: it could spare civilians at a time of peak winter demand, when Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukraine’s power generation and distribution in strikes that compound hardship for households and hospitals. It would also expose, in real time, whether Moscow is prepared to curb violence even briefly while wider talks continue. The Kremlin’s response, delivered by Mr Peskov, amounted to a rejection of any restraint that does not advance Russia’s war aims, treating a humanitarian pause as an inconvenience rather than a minimum standard of conduct.
