The key facts

  • Peskov: Russia's interests 'will be secured in any case,' regardless of the situation in the US
  • Moscow is ready to continue the 'special military operation' if a peaceful option is unattainable
  • Regarding reports of tankers with Russian diesel, the Kremlin called the deliveries commercial and unrelated to the elections

Peskov on the US election results and the Ukrainian settlement

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday that Russia's ability to defend its interests on the Ukrainian issue does not depend on the political situation in the United States, and that Moscow will pursue its goals 'in any case.' His remarks were cited by the Anadolu agency.

A peaceful or a military path

Asked whether the results of the US midterm elections could affect the Kremlin's calculations regarding a possible settlement in Ukraine, Peskov replied that the election outcome is the internal affair of the United States, and stressed that President Donald Trump will continue to exercise his presidential powers and conduct his foreign policy.

Tankers, the meeting at Melania Trump's, and cyberattacks

'Naturally, safeguarding the interests of the Russian Federation in Ukrainian affairs cannot depend on the situation in the United States of America. Our interests will be secured in any case. Russia is an absolutely sovereign state,' Anadolu quoted Peskov as saying.

Tankers, the meeting at Melania Trump's, and cyberattacks

Peskov added that Russia prefers to achieve its goals in Ukraine by peaceful means, but will continue the 'special military operation' — the Kremlin's term for the war in Ukraine — for as long as a peaceful option remains impossible. 'Russia's interests will be secured either by military means — the continuation of the special military operation — or by peaceful ones, if someone appears in Kyiv who has the political will and is ready to assume political responsibility,' he said.

Tankers, the meeting at Melania Trump's, and cyberattacks

Commenting on reports that tankers carrying Russian diesel fuel under a deal with the United States had changed course, Peskov said the cargoes will find buyers and that the details of the deals remain commercially confidential. 'The deliveries have been made. These are commercial deliveries, so the details, naturally, cannot be made public. But one should not see any connection with the elections here,' he stated.

Tankers, the meeting at Melania Trump's, and cyberattacks

As for the meeting held on Thursday by US First Lady Melania Trump, Peskov said Russia will be represented there by human rights commissioner Yana Lantratova and the president's special envoy Kirill Dmitriev. He also dismissed as 'absurd' the claims that pro-Russian hackers were behind cyberattacks on cooling systems in European supermarkets: according to him, the accusations are not supported by evidence, and this 'is becoming a persistent trend in European countries.'