Kremlin-No Prerequisites For Peace Talks w/Ukraine, But Topic Irrelevant

Wires carrying comments from Kremlin spox Dmitri Peskov. Claims that there are 'No prerequisites for talks with Ukraine', and that 'Ukraine left the peace negotiations in 2022 at the insistence of the United Kingdom'. However, adds that 'We believe the topic of negotiations with Ukraine is currently irrelevant', and that 'there is no basis for them [talks]'. Peskov: 'Ukraine forbade talks with Russia...Attempts to find peace in Ukraine without Russia are absurd.'

• Comes after President Vladimir Putin made public comments in a meeting of defence officials on 19 Dec that he would be willing to hold talks. Putin: "In Ukraine, those who are aggressive towards Russia, and in Europe and in the United States - do they want to negotiate? Let them. But we will do it based on our national interests...We will not give up what is ours,"
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated in a rare public Q&A that his military leadership had called for the mobilisation of another 500k Ukrainians, but that he had yet to be convinced of the ability to pay for this number of troops. Disagreements between Zelenskyy, his military leadership, and other senior politicians have become more public and bitter in recent weeks.
• This risks the diversion of attention in Kyiv as well as concern among Ukraine's western allies. The US and EU are already facing massive struggles in getting Ukraine funding packages across the line. Zelenskyy arguing with his military command is unlikely to bolster the chances of passage.