A ceasefire without a long-term settlement will only lead to a renewed outbreak of conflict, he pointed out.

On Monday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov warned that a ceasefire in Ukraine without addressing the root causes of the conflict could have serious consequences.

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“As we have emphasized both in Riyadh and before, a ceasefire without a long-term settlement will only lead to a renewed outbreak of conflict, with even more severe consequences, including for Russia-U.S. relations. We do not want this,” he said, noting that the U.S. appears eager to push for an immediate ceasefire.

Ryabkov noted that Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine was inevitable due to the long-standing underlying issues that had developed over decades as a result of the policies pursued by the United States and some European countries toward Eastern Europe and Ukraine, which he described as “destructive.”

“A ceasefire alone is not a solution. We have a different approach and different priorities, as (Russian) President Vladimir Putin has stated. Our senior representatives conveyed this position clearly and comprehensively in Riyadh,” he said.

On Feb. 18, high-level Russia-U.S. talks were held in Riyadh, marking the first face-to-face interaction between senior U.S. and Russian officials since the outbreak of the Ukraine crisis three years ago.

On Saturday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that President Donald Trump has expressed confidence that Washington can successfully negotiate the end of the Ukraine conflict “this week.”

“The president, his team are very much focused on continuing negotiations with both sides of this war to end the conflict, and the president is very confident we can get it done this week,” she said after returning from the Conservative Political Action Conference.

Leavitt also said that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has been involved in discussions about a proposed deal with the Ukrainians to harness raw minerals. “When it comes to the critical minerals, this is an important piece for the president. It’s very important for the president, because it will recoup American tax dollars,” she stated.

Meanwhile, the Speaker of Ukraine’s Parliament has said that the Ukrainian government will start working in earnest from the beginning of next week to conclude an agreement on earth minerals and security assurances with the United States.

Last week, Ruslan Stefanchuk, who is close to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said that Ukraine will have an expert team start from Monday working toward signing an agreement with the United States.

teleSUR/ JF

Source: Xinhua

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