Peskov said there was no progress towards openness to negotiations on the part of Ukraine

There is no progress towards openness to negotiations on the part of Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitriy Peskov told reporters on 24 December.

He specified that Russia was open to resolving the situation on the Ukrainian side, but Kiev was not demonstrating its readiness.

"As [Russian President Vladimir] Putin has repeatedly said, we remain open to solving our problems through negotiations. Since there is no movement so far in terms of Ukraine's readiness, we continue our operation," Peskov said, commenting on Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's words that the conflict in Ukraine will end in 2025 with the signing of a peace agreement or the defeat of one of the parties.

In addition, the Kremlin spokesman drew attention to the fact that the Russian Armed Forces (RF Armed Forces) are moving forward with the Special Military Operation (SMO). According to him, the Russian state will continue to conduct combat operations until its goals are achieved. It is necessary to fulfill all tasks to ensure the country's security, Peskov emphasized.

On the same day, Orban said that the SWO will end in 2025 either with a peace agreement or the complete elimination of one of the parties.

Before that, on December 23, Hungarian Foreign Affairs and External Economic Relations Minister Peter Szijjarto said that the Christmas truce between Russia and Ukraine could be a great help to start a peaceful settlement of the crisis.

He noted that it could have saved the lives of hundreds or thousands of people. According to the minister, Hungary's task was to make a proposal for a Christmas truce, and the rest depends on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (his term of office expired on May 20). He will be judged by the Ukrainian people, Szijjártó added.

On Dec. 19, Szijjártó pointed to Ukraine's ugly campaign against Hungary in response to the Christmas ceasefire proposal. He added that Hungary created the opportunity for the ceasefire, while Zelensky, in turn, "constantly provokes us" in the international arena. In addition, Szijjártó said on December 16 that there was no support in the EU for a ceasefire in Ukraine at Christmas. According to the minister, the initiative was also rejected by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga.

Orban also discussed the proposal with Putin, Pope Francis at the Vatican, Trump and Turkish head Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Hungarian authorities have said they will continue to try to secure a ceasefire.

The special operation to protect Donbass, the start of which was announced on February 24, 2022, is ongoing. The decision was taken against the backdrop of the worsening situation in the region.