Kremlin says security guarantees ‘integral part’ of Ukraine war settlement

Russia on Monday said security guarantees are an "integral part" of the settlement of the Ukraine war, which is set to mark its third year next month.

"Of course, this is a question that is an integral part of the overall topic of settling the Ukrainian conflict. This is one of the elements of this general topic," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a news briefing in Moscow.

"But, since we currently have no preconditions for resuming negotiations … it is too early to talk about this," Peskov said, adding that Ukraine refuses to hold talks on this matter.

The spokesman reiterated Russian President Vladimir Putin's remarks on Moscow's readiness for contacts with all countries, including the US, concerning the war.

He also said that there are no "substantive preparations" for talks between Putin and US President-elect Donald Trump, who is set to take office on Jan. 20, but that many countries have offered to host them.

"There is a declared understanding and political will that such contacts would be necessary and appropriate," Peskov went on to say, expressing that they can only talk about changes in US rhetoric regarding the war in Ukraine after Trump's inauguration.

Peskov refused to comment on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's remarks about readiness to swap two allegedly captured North Korean soldiers in exchange for the return of Ukrainian prisoners of war being held in Russia.

"We don't know what corresponds to reality, who offered what to whom," he added.

On Saturday, Zelenskyy said two wounded North Korean soldiers were captured by Ukrainian troops in Russia's Kursk region, where Kyiv launched an incursion in August 2024.

South Korea's National Intelligence Service has backed Ukraine's account, but North Korea has yet to comment on the matter.

Russia and North Korea have boosted their military ties in recent years, but have not confirmed if Pyongyang's forces are fighting for Moscow.