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The Kremlin said Friday it is aware of a Türkiye-United Nations initiative to hold Black Sea ceasefire talks involving Russia and Ukraine but that there are "no specifics," stressing that Moscow seeks a lasting peace rather than a truce.
"No specifics. We know this initiative, indeed. But in this case the Kyiv regime is not showing any inclination toward any comprehensive agreements," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Türkiye and the U.N. brokered the 2022 Black Sea Grain Initiative and are now seeking to revive maritime security talks as Russian and Ukrainian attacks on each other's ports and ships push up global food prices.
"Russia is always open to negotiations," Peskov said.
"Piecemeal arrangements cannot bring us closer to a peaceful solution. Agreements can only be comprehensive," he added.
"Russia needs not a ceasefire agreement with Ukraine but a lasting peace. As the President said yesterday, we need peace, not a ceasefire," he added.
"The situation in the Black Sea has a special character. Russia is responding to attacks initiated by Ukraine. Ukraine must pay the price for this. It is already paying and will continue to pay," Peskov said.
"We are continuing the special military operation. It is of great importance for us to completely stop the shipment of military equipment, ammunition and fuel to Ukraine by sea. That is what we are doing now and will continue to do," he said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday at the Valdai Discussion Club that Ukraine had started attacking Russian tankers and civilian cargo ships in the Black Sea, knocking out 40 Russian vessels in the first 10 days alone, before Russia began responding.
He rejected proposals for a reciprocal pause in strikes, arguing they are unequal because Russian diesel remains under sanctions.
Türkiye and the U.N. have set up new talks in Russia and Ukraine on a Black Sea ceasefire, expected in early October, with envoys from the Swiss-based Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue serving as mediators, Bloomberg reported, citing a senior diplomat.
The initiative was launched at a closed-door meeting on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in late September, attended by Turkish officials and representatives of the U.S., Europe, India and Egypt. Participants discussed a "narrowly defined and reciprocal arrangement" covering free commercial navigation and the protection of ports and energy infrastructure, according to a document seen by Bloomberg.
Russia and Ukraine account for more than a quarter of global wheat shipments, and their attacks on Black Sea port facilities helped push wheat futures to a three-year high in August.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said last week that Türkiye had stepped up efforts to re-establish the Black Sea grain corridor, adding that he had again discussed the issue with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and received a positive response.
President Erdogan said Ankara opposes attacks on merchant ships in the Black Sea regardless of which side carries them out.
Türkiye and the U.N. mediated the 2022 Black Sea Grain Initiative, which allowed Ukraine to export food from its seaports during the war, before Russia withdrew from the deal in July 2023.
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