Russia Now Urges Kyiv To Enter Peace Talks: 'Everything Is Up To Ukraine'

Several Kremlin officials and Russian allies are now urging Ukraine to enter peace talks with Moscow to prevent any further casualties in the war.

This comes as Russia launched a new series of missile attacks Wednesday, targeting Ukraine's energy facilities. The attack plunged several Ukrainian regions into darkness and killed at least 10 civilians.

Despite being launched by Russian troops, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov blamed the missile strikes on Ukraine, adding that Kyiv could put an end to all the attacks if it agrees to meet Russia's terms.

"The leadership of Ukraine has every opportunity to bring the situation (with attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities - ed.) back to normal, has every opportunity to resolve the situation in such a way as to fulfill the requirements of the Russian side, and, accordingly, stop all kinds of suffering for the local population," Peskov said.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko also called on Ukraine to enter peace talks with Russia and prevent any further casualties in the war. He also warned that Ukraine's refusal to negotiate with Russia would result in the country's "complete destruction."

"Everything is up to Ukraine. Indeed, everything is now in the hands of Ukraine. If they do not want to see numerous deaths among their people, they should stop. It's difficult, but this must stop. It must be stopped because it will result in the complete destruction of Ukraine," Lukashenko said Thursday, according to The Kyiv Post.

Lukashenko and Peskov's statements come a day after Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya admitted that Russia is bombing Ukraine to impair its military potential and force it to negotiate with Moscow.

"One of the goals of the special military operation is to undermine the Ukrainian army's combat capabilities. And it will be attained by military means until the Kyiv regime takes a realistic position, which will make it possible to discuss and try to settle those problems, which have prompted us to launch the special military operation," Nebenzya said at a UN Security Council meeting, which was called due to Russia's latest missile strikes on Ukraine's critical infrastructure.

Since the war began, the Russian army has killed a total of 6,595 Ukrainian civilians and wounded 10,189 others, as per estimates from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).